NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen during sunrise atop … [+]
When is the Artemis 1 launch date? NASA is ready to go again on Saturday for the inaugural launch of its Artemis Program—and you can watch.
Technical issues on Monday, August 29 persuaded controllers to scrub the launch just as vast crowds had gathered in Cape Canaveral and on surrounding beaches in Florida to watch the launch at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Artemis I is a long-duration 1.3 million miles (2.1 million kilometers) trip to the Moon, past the Moon and then back again. It will test NASA’s new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS)—the biggest rocket ever built—as well as proving-out the Orion spacecraft for crewed flights to the Moon.
It’s the first of three Artemis missions on the schedule, with Artemis II in 2024 slated to take four crew and Artemis III due to take two astronauts to the lunar surface in 2025 or later.
New Artemis I launch date and time
Artemis-1 is now scheduled for a launch attempt on Saturday, September 3, 2022. The launch window opens at 2:17 p.m. EDT and closes at 4:17 p.m. EDT.
What happens if there’s another scrub?
If the launch is scrubbed the next launch window available is Tuesday, September 6.
There are launch windows on Sunday and Monday, but NASA mandates that there must be 72 hours between attempts 2 and 3 (and no more than three attempts in seven days). So if there is a scrub Saturday then the next launch date can’t be any earlier than Tuesday.
The next launch window after Tuesday isn’t until Monday, September 19.
When and where to watch the Artemis-1 launch
NASA YouTube is where to go to watch the extensive launch coverage on Saturday, September 3, 2022. Although programming actually begins at 5:45 a.m. EDT for tanking operations to load propellant into the SLS rocket, actual launch coverage kicks-off at 12:15 p.m. EDT.
NASA TV is also available on the NASA website, Facebook, Twitch and in 4k on NASA’s UHD channel.
Here’s the exact schedule as well as some events not to miss in the post-launch hours:
- 12:15 p.m. EST: live launch coverage begins in English (Spanish is 1:00 p.m. EST on separate feeds on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube).
- 2:17 p.m. through 4:47 p.m. EDT: launch window.
- 6:00 p.m. EDT: Around an hour after lift-off will be a post-launch news conference.
- 9:45 p.m. EDT: Coverage of Orion’s first outbound trajectory burn on the way to the Moon. Exact time depends on exact liftoff time.
- 10:15 p.m. EDT: Coverage of first Earth views from Orion during outbound coast to the Moon. Exact time depends on exact liftoff time.
Where to find updates on the Artemis-1 launch
Be prepared for delays and scrubbed launches. Stay tuned to the @NASAArtemis and @NASA Twitter feeds for updates to launch times and coverage changes.
Weather forecast for Artemis I launch
Meteorologists are predicting a 60% chance of favorable weather conditions for an Artemis I launch attempt on Saturday, September 3, though rain showers are expected.
Why the first Artemis I launch was scrubbed
According to NASA the August 29 launch was called-off while in a launch window because controllers were unable to chill down the four RS-25 engines, with one engine showing higher temperatures than the other engines. Was it a sensor issue or an actual fault? Teams have spent the days since analyzing data, updating procedures and checking out hardware to address the issues … but there’s no guarantee that sensor will fail once again. That could mean the rocket being taken off the launch pad and taken back to NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building for a new engine to be fitted.
Why Artemis I needs specific launch windows
The solar-powered Orion spacecraft’s trajectory must not take it through the path of an eclipse—the shadow of the Moon—for more than 90 minutes otherwise it will completely lose power.
What Artemis I will do after launch
The spacecraft and rocket will launch, orbit the Earth, and then send Orion and the ESM to enter an elliptical orbit of the Moon that will see them get to within 69 miles/111 kilometers above its surface—sometime around September 7, 2022—and about 40,000 miles beyond it in the days after. That’s farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. It will then return for an even closer flyby the Moon on its way home.
When and where Artemis I will land
If it successfully launches then the Artemis I mission will last for 38-42 days, with splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California in the Pacific Ocean in mid-October 2022.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
