Nasa gives major update ahead of proposed Artemis 1 Moon rocket launch tomorrow after take-off scrapped twice

 

NASA has given a major update on its Artemis 1 Moon mission.

The space agency has finally confirmed that lift off should take place around 1am ET (6am GMT) on Wednesday morning.

What is Artemis I?

The first part of the mission to put humans back on the Moon is called Artemis I and it was supposed to launch from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Flordia on Monday, August 29.

However, the first launch date had to be pushed back due to a fuelling error.

The second attempt to launch encountered a similar issue and the third was scrapped before it could begin because of Storm Ian.

When it does launch, 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).

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 since then.