Artemis Ihas launch today , November 16 , at 1:47 am EST ( 6:47 am UTC ) from the historical Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center , Florida . This cross out the first flight of NASA ’s Orion space vehicle and massive Space Launch System ( SLS ) , now the most powerful rocket ever sent to orbit . While the agitation for successfully jumping this first hurdle is tangible , this is just the starting time of the mission that will test the craft ’s capabilities for safely returning humans to the Moon .
TheSpace Launch Systemhas a drive equivalent to 14 jumbo jets . It is made of a core level and two solid arugula boosters . The latter burn for around two transactions , take the rocket through the period of majuscule atmospherical force . As it reaches the upper air , the Orion ejector seat is leave alone with the interim cryogenic actuation stage ( ICPS ) . ICPS will be responsible for invest the space vehicle into the trans - lunar injection , the special orbit postulate to revolve around the Moon .
Orion , which is loaded with cubesats , communication gadget , andexperimentsfrom a mass of research institute , will wing in infinite for25 days , 11 hours , and 36 minutesand will spend six of those day in a retrograde arena around the Moon . Its mileometer will add 2.1 million kilometers ( 1.3 million mile ) by the end of the trip , and you could chase ithere . Orion will travel farther than any other spacecraft design for mankind , arrive at as far as 450,000 kilometer ( 280,000 miles ) from Earth , and up to 64,000 kilometers ( 40,000 mile ) beyond the far side of the Moon .
You can follow the first integrated flight test of SLS and the Orion spacecraft as it reaches its destination in Moon orbit. Image credit: NASA
The expected splashdown appointment is December 11 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego .
All of this is to test the ballistic capsule to the limitation to make certain it is quick to accommodate a human gang in just two years ' metre . Artemis II , launch in May 2024 , will see humans return to mysterious outer space for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 . TheArtemis Teamwill consist of four astronauts who will take flight around the Moon for up to 21 twenty-four hour period further examine the spacecraft . One of the four cosmonaut will be Canadian and the quietus have been reassert to be American .
