Everything you need to know
Godspeed, take two.
NASA will try a second time to launch its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at 2:17 p.m. EDT Saturday, Sept. 3, from Kennedy Space Center. That time marks the opening of a two-hour window for launch.
Monday morning’s attempt to get the mega moon rocket off the ground from historic launch pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center was scrubbed due to technical issues.
The Artemis I launch kicks off NASA’s program to send the first woman and first person of color of the moon. The Artemis program would mark the space agency’s return to the moon, more than 50 years after the Apollo program first did so.
The following is a guide with frequently asked questions about NASA’s Artemis launch. Check back with FLORIDA TODAY’s Space Team — reporters Emre Kelly and Jamie Groh and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt — at 7 a.m. Saturday for live coverage.
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Will there be people onboard?
No. This is a test flight for the SLS rocket, which will later carry astronauts to the moon. This mission, Artemis I, will send an uncrewed Orion capsule on a 37-day journey around the moon and back. If successful, it will pave the way for astronauts to fly a similar profile on Artemis II no earlier than 2024. Then, Artemis III, sometime after 2025, would put two astronauts back on the lunar surface after a more than 50 year hiatus.
What’s on board NASA’s Artemis I for its voyage to the moon? Snoopy, Legos and ‘manikins’
What will traffic be like on launch day?
We’re not going to lie. Traffic is going to be heavy. Be prepared to wait. Get there early. Have a full tank of gas.
The historic launch is expected to attract 200,000 people to the Space Coast — on a holiday weekend when there will be four cruise ships at Port Canaveral, Brevard County Emergency Management officials tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
“As you head out for weekend activities please plan for traffic congestion and factor in additional travel time, especially if you are headed toward the beaches or the north area of the county for the #Artemis launch,” the agency tweeted.
What to expect: ‘Bigger crowds!’ Expect heavier Artemis traffic when NASA tries to launch on Saturday
Also, there’s a surf festival in Cocoa Beach this weekend. In years past, surf festivals in Brevard have drawn 10,000 visitors to the Cocoa Beach Pier.
10 years after his death, Rich Salick to be honored during Labor Day NKF Surf Festival
What’s the weather going to be like on launch day?
Despite two tropical disturbances and a tropical storm over Atlantic waters, Brevard is expected to see typical summer weather for Labor Day weekend.
The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron says weather should be 60% go at the beginning of the two-hour launch window, improving to 80% go by the…
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