NASA aims for the moon again, fifty years after the last Apollo mission. The Artemis I mission will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Monday morning.
“Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for deep-space exploration and demonstrate our commitment to extending human existence to the moon and on to Mars,” NASA press secretary Stephanie Schierholz said at a press conference earlier this month.
The launch on Monday is the first in a series of “increasingly complex” missions that will culminate in a manned moon landing in 2025. According to NASA, the Artemis missions will include the first woman and person of colour to set foot on the moon.
NASA employees have spent the last several days preparing the massive rocket for launch by staging it on its launch pad. According to NASA, the mission will take 42 days, three hours, and twenty minutes to complete. After returning from orbiting the moon on Oct. 10, the Orion spacecraft will splashdown near Baja, California.
NASA Artemis-I launch timetable
Artemis I is scheduled to launch on Monday between 8:33 a.m. and 10:33 a.m. ET. A crowd of at least 100,000 people is expected to gather on the Florida coast to witness the launch.
How to Keep an Eye on the Artemis I Launch
U.S. TODAY will broadcast the launch live on all platforms, including YouTube, beginning around 8 a.m. ET.
NASA will begin streaming the launch at 12 a.m. on its website and on NASA TV. ET Monday as the final preparations are made in the hours leading up to the final countdown.
