CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. â With the long-term goal of returning humans to the Moon, NASA is rolling out the Artemis 1 spacecraft to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center.
The Artemis 1 mission, which is scheduled to launch later this month or at the beginning of September, will be an uncrewed mission to test the technology that will be used to return humans to the Moon in the years ahead.
At a speed of about 1 mph, a crawl-transporter will carry Artemis 1, which is a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, to Launch Pad 39B. The launch pad was previously used during the Apollo and Space Shuttle Program.
The goal of the Artemis program is to return humans to the Moon. Scientists plan to use what they learn on and around the Moon to eventually send the first astronauts to Mars.
The first possible launch date for Artemis 1 is August 29. Backup launch dates have also been scheduled for September 2 and 5.
When Artemis 1 launches, join WCNC Charlotte Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich for a live watch party on the WCNC Charlotte Weather IQ YouTube channel. Brad will host live coverage of the launch and take your questions in real-time.
Subscribe to the channel to be notified when the launch happens.
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