The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) announced late last week that it had chosen August 29 as the date for its first launch attempt of its Artemis I Moon mission. The backup dates, should it not prove possible to launch on August 29 (for example, due to bad weather), were also announced: September 2 and September 5.

In each case, there was a ‘launch window’ within the day: in the case of August 29, this window lasted two hours, starting at 08h33 US Eastern Daylight Time (14h33 South African time). Should Artemis I be launched on August 29, its mission would last some 42 days, with splashdown back on Earth planned for October 10.

Artemis I, currently in the Vehicular Assembly Building (VAB) at the Nasa Kennedy Space Centre, was composed of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The SLS would lift the Orion into high orbit, from which an Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) would push it into deep space (Orion would actually fly thousands of kilometres beyond the Moon). Orion itself was composed of the Orion space capsule, designed, developed and assembled in the US, and the European Service Module, supplied by the European Space Agency and designed, developed and assembled in Europe.

With the Artemis programme, Nasa would resume crewed space exploration missions, initially to the Moon and probably asteroids, but leading ultimately to Mars. Artemis would see the first woman and the first person of colour land on the Moon, which would happen with the Artemis III mission. Artemis I was an uncrewed mission, while Artemis II would be crewed but would not land on the Moon.

Nasa also reported that the technical teams carrying out the final checks on Artemis I’s systems, and confirming that they were ready to fly, had been running ahead of schedule. Thermal blankets for the ICPS had been installed around the launch vehicle stage adapter. Rocket core stage engine section flight doors had been replaced. The final inspections on these sections had been completed, they had been declared flight-ready and the inspection platforms needed to access them had been withdrawn.

Testing and checking of the Orion capsule was also under way, including the installation of its ‘crew’ – male and female body-form mannikins instrumented to record vibration and radiation exposure data, of great importance to ensure the safety of future human crews. The capsule hatch would be closed shortly before Artemis I was rolled out of the VAB.

Final inspections on the core stage of the SLS had already started. Once the flight termination system components in the core stage intertank and the solid rocket booster forward skirts had been tested and declared flight ready, Artemis I would be ready to return to its launch pad (where it had previously been deployed for dress rehearsals and operational tests). Roll-out from the VAB was planned to take place on August 18.