NASA is about to launch its most powerful rocket ever.
The US space agency is aiming for a morning take-off for Artemis I on August 29 and we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about the groundbreaking event.
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What is Artemis I?
The first part of the mission to put humans back on the Moon is called Artemis I and it’s ready to launch from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Flordia on Monday, August 29.
The mission will involve an up to 42-day tour around the Moon and back.
However, Nasa could cut short the mission if something goes wrong.
The flight will be testing out hardware so that Nasa can land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon by 2025.
That crewed mission is being referred to as Artemis III and a lot has to happen before it can take place.
Artemis I isn’t a crewed mission but it needs to loop around the Moon to test three key components.
These are Nasa’s Space Launch System (SLS), its Orion spacecraft, and the European Service Module (ESM).
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The Orion spacecraft and the ESM should get within 62 miles of the lunar surface and then travel 40,000 miles beyond this.
Once looping around the dark side of the Moon, the rocket should land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
Nasa completed a “wet dress rehearsal” of the SLS back in March and has changed the proposed launch date several times already.
What’s onboard Artemis I?
Although Artemis I won’t be taking humans to space, the Orion capsule does have some special guests onboard.
Children’s TV favorite Shaun the Sheep has secured a seat on a space mission headed for the Moon.
“This is an exciting time for Shaun and for us at ESA,” European Space Agency Director for Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker said in a press release.
“We’re woolly very happy that he’s been selected for the mission and we understand that, although it might be a small step for a human, it’s a giant leap for lambkind.”
A plush doll of Shaun will go off-world in the Nasa Orion spacecraft before doing a flyby of the Moon in the ESA-manufactured European Service Module.
As well as Shaun the Sheep, the Orion capsule will also contain three mannequins that will be conducting different scientific tests.
The US space agency is planning to send real women to the Moon but it’s thought the female body has a bigger risk of negative impacts from space radiation.
This is where mannequins Helga and Zohar come into play.
The two torsos are said to be made up of materials similar to the bones, soft tissues, and organs of a female adult human.
Over 10,000 sensors and radiation detectors will be tracking the effects of space on these materials as Helgar and Zohar travel around the Moon.
There will also be a third mannequin, called Commander Moonikin Campos, that will collect data about how the flight vibrates and accelerates the body.
In addition to sheep and mannequins, Nasa has packed some CubeSats onboard.
Some of these small devices will be dropped off along the way to the Moon and others will be dropped onto the lunar surface to collect data on Moon ice.
Celebrities attending Artemis I launch
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to watch the launch from Florida.
Nasa has invited a list of celebrities, from actors to musicians, to the upcoming launch of its Artemis 1 Moon rocket.
On Friday, Nasa announced that Jack Black, Chris Evans, and Keke Palmer will be attending the launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Star-Spangled Banner will be performed by Josh Groban and Herbie Hancock.
The Philadelphia Orchestra and cellist Yo-Yo Ma will be performing America the Beautiful, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin.
How can I watch Artemis I launch?
You’ll be able to watch the Artemis I launch live from Nasa’s website as it takes off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.
Coverage will start from 12am ET (5am BST) on Monday 29.
This is around when the fueling will start.
There will be a post-launch news conference at 12pm.
