NASA Artemis launch: date and time rocket will take off to the moon after postponement - how to watch live

NASA will launch its most powerful rocket on a journey to the moon and back
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The launch of NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission has been rescheduled.

The rocket was originally set to begin its journey to space on Monday 29 August, however organisers were forced to delay the mission due to technical issues.

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The NASA Artemis 1 mission has been widely anticipated for a long time and it will see the space agency launch its most powerful rocket into the sky.

Here is everything you need to know about the Nasa Artemis 1 launch and when the launch will now take place.

The space craft will remain in space for 42 days. (Getty Images)The space craft will remain in space for 42 days. (Getty Images)
The space craft will remain in space for 42 days. (Getty Images)

Why was the NASA Artemis 1 launch delayed?

NASA Artemis 1 was scheduled to take place on Monday 29 August.

The rocket was due to head off into space at some point between 1.33 pm and 3.33 pm UK time.

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However, an engine problem scuppered the plans, and organisers were forced to delay the mission.

The space agency said: “Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson has called a scrub of the attempt of the launch of Artemis 1.

“The issue that came up was an engine bleed which couldn’t be  remedied but the rocket is currently in a stable configuration.

“It was mostly tanked but not completely tanked.

Engineers are now working on a plan to continue gathering data about this particular engine and the bleed that didn’t work out.”

When will the NASA Artemis 1 mission take place?

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The US space agency has confirmed that they will be aiming to launch the rocket on the moon on Saturday 3 September. It is estimated that the momentous journey will begin at 7.17pm (BST).

John Honeycutt, who manages the Space Launch System (SLS) at Nasa said: "We’ve got a path forward to get to where we need to get to, to support the next launch.”

What is Artemis 1?

Artemis 1 will be the first test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems. The launch will take place at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

It will be the first in a series of complex missions which will demonstrate NASA’s commitment to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.

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During this flight, the space agency will launch the most powerful rocket in the world and it is expected to travel 280,000 miles from Earth. It will fly the furthest distance that any spacecraft in history has ever flown.

Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager said: “This is a mission that truly will do what hasn’t been done and learn what isn’t known. It will blaze a trail that people will follow on the next Orion flight.”

The Artemis 1 mission will see the first launch of the new 322ft tall Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which the agency says is the world’s most powerful rocket to date.

It will take the Orion capsule, powered by the Airbus-built European Service Module (ESM), into the moon’s orbit.

Will the NASA mission have a crew?

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There will be no crew on board for Artemis 1, but the mission is expected to pave the way for future space programmes, with the Artemis programme aiming to send a group of astronauts to Mars in the future.

While there will be no humans, there will be a mascot in the form of Shaun the Sheep.

The Aardman Animations character will take up a seat on board, and become a space hero for a younger generation.

“We’re woolly very happy that he’s been selected for the mission and we understand that, although it might be a small step for a human, it’s a giant leap for lambkind,” said David Parker, director of human and robotic exploration at the European Space Agency (ESA), a partner on the mission.

What is the NASA mission’s destination?

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The mission will see the spaceship travel from Earth and beyond the Moon over the course of four to six weeks.

Orion is expected to stay in space longer than any ship has ever done and will return faster than ever before.

How to watch NASA Artemis launch in UK

Coverage of the event can be streamed online via NASA TV.

The US space agency is also expected to stream live on the NASA Youtube channel as we saw previously with The James Webb Space Telescope.

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