Humanity’s return to the moon starts with a single rocket journey. Artemis 1 was supposed to blast off earlier this week, on 29 August. That launch was scrubbed partway into the launch window. It has since been rescheduled.
According to NASA, the new launch window for the first Artemis mission opens on 3 September, at 14:17 EDT. Here in South Africa, that’s 20:17 on Saturday morning. If you’re just getting up, or getting home, it’s the perfect time to tune into the live stream.
Artemis rising
The launch window for the mission is still two hours. Liftoff will hopefully take place between 8:17 and 10:17 on the morning of 3 September. That is, assuming there are no other issues with the launch.
NASA’s initial test of its Orion capsule and its lunar journey capability was called off thanks to what may have been a faulty sensor. The agency had to cool its four RS-25 engines down to about -215° Celcius. Three of the four reached the required temperature. The fourth, Engine 3, showed the incorrect temperature, preventing NASA from completing its propellant loading procedures.
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Artemis 1’s launch will now see a few changes. Engineers will be able to access the purge can, an area where a hydrogen leak was detected. The intervening days have seen more practice runs take place. Additionally, the kick-start bleed test — which chills the engines — is being started sooner in NASA’s countdown this weekend.
As with all space missions, the time and date are subject to change. Weather for the launch is expected to co-operate but it’s always possible that other circumstances will force a postponement. Either way, we’ll be checking out the launch as it happens.