You can watch live as the Artemis 1 moon rocket of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) returns to the launch pad this Friday morning, Nov. 4.
Friday at 12:01 AM EDT (0401 GMT), the Artemis 1 stack, which consists of a massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket topped with an Orion spacecraft, is scheduled to roll out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). According to Space.com's report, this event will take place at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
Artemis 1 will make its way toward Pad 39B at the KSC, which will serve as the launch site for the mission that is scheduled on Nov. 14.
The journey will be undertaken aboard NASA's big crawler transporter-2 vehicle. Reportedly, it will cover a distance of around 6.4 km (4 miles) and is anticipated to take approximately ten hours to complete.
How to watch Artemis 1 returns livestream?
Click here to view NASA's webcast and upcoming activities, or watch the YouTube video below.
Previous Activities of Artemis 1
This will be the fourth time that Artemis 1 travels between the VAB and Pad 39A. The rocket embarked on the journey in March and June to carry out prelaunch fueling tests. It then embarked on the journey once again in the middle of August in an effort to take off.
After planned launch attempts in late August and early September were derailed by technical difficulties, NASA brought Artemis 1 back to the VAB in late September so that it could seek shelter from Hurricane Ian.
During this most recent stay at the VAB, crew members of the mission have used the time to undertake a number of tests, as well as some minor repairs and maintenance work on the Artemis 1 spacecraft.
Last week, NASA announced that minor repairs found during thorough were are mainly done. The mobile launcher arms and umbilicals were being configured at the time, and the access platforms around SLS and Orion were being retracted to prepare the mobile launcher and VAB for deployment.
The response control system on the twin solid rocket boosters and flight batteries were checked and are now ready for flight.
NASA's Artemis Initiative
NASA's Artemis program aims to establish a long-term and sustainable human presence on and around the moon in many coming decades. Artemis 1 is the first mission in the initiative.
The major objectives of Artemis I are to showcase Orion's systems in a spaceflight setting and to ensure a "safe re-entry, descent, splashdown," and recovery before the first flight with crew on Artemis II.
The SLS will make its first voyage with Artemis 1, while Orion will make its second launch with Artemis 1. It is going to launch the unmanned capsule on a shakeout voyage to the moon and back that will last around one month.
If all goes according to plan, the Artemis 2 mission will send astronauts around the moon by 2024, and the Artemis 3 mission will land humans near the lunar south pole a year or two later.
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Written by Trisha Kae Andrada