On November 12th, 2022, many people were awaiting the launch of the Artemis 1 rocket, which was being launched from Kennedy Space Center located on Merritt Island, Florida. This anticipation was crushed when then-Tropical Storm Nicole created a slight worry amongst the engineers at NASA. Despite this worry, the rocket was left on the launch pad, leaving some minor damage to the rocket. “We have some work to do,” stated Jim Free, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, according to CNN. Technicians have been working tirelessly to ensure near perfection in this launch, which has now happened.

The new launch date for the Artemis 1 was November 16, 2022 at 1:04 a.m. 

So, what’s the big deal with this launch anyway? 

The Artemis 1 rocket was designed with the main mission of returning back to the moon once again. This time NASA hopes that this mission will open the doors for space travel beyond the moon–specifically to Mars. In addition, this mission will also allow for the eventual long-term presence of humans on the moon, which is a huge step in space exploration. The Artemis is an uncrewed mission to test systems in a spaceflight environment. The Orion spacecraft, which is being put to the test, will complete a distant retrograde orbit around the moon. The mission duration will be 25 days, 11 hours, and 36 minutes. It is projected to splashdown back on Earth on December 11, 2022. 

Everything about this mission, even down to the mission patch, was specifically and articulately designed. The design shows various elements to demonstrate the mission’s symbolic meaning. In addition to this, every state in America has pitched in to work on the Artemis rocket, building the systems to help create a long-term presence of humans on the moon.

As of now, December 1, a press conference has been held to preview Orion’s departure from the moon, which will be taking place today at 4:54 p.m. 

The Artemis 1 mission is highly significant, as it is the first in a series of “increasingly complex missions” that will allow for human exploration on the Moon and eventually Mars. This mission is a stepping stone for a large eventual outcome.