KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – NASA will try to launch its moon rocket for the first time Monday morning, and Vice President Kamala Harris will be there for the launch.
Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff plan to be at Kennedy Space Center for the launch of the new Space Launch Systems rocket as part of the Artemis I mission.
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The two-hour launch window opens at 8:33 a.m. The rocket is expected to lift off from Launch Pad 39B.
She and Emhoff will also tour the progress of the technology for the Artemis II and III missions, before Harris delivers remarks on the launch at 12 p.m.
Artemis I is NASA’s first attempt to return to the moon. The uncrewed mission will orbit the moon during a 42-day mission that will test the SLS and Orion spacecraft’s resiliency in space, including the resiliency of the new heat shield.
There are two backup launch dates:
- Sept. 2: Two-hour launch window opens at 12:48 p.m., 39-day mission with an Oct. 11 splashdown
- Sept. 5: One and a half-hour launch window opens at 5:12 p.m., 42-day mission with an Oct. 17 splashdown
If the mission is successful, NASA will proceed to a crewed mission for Artemis II in 2024, where the spacecraft will again orbit the Moon. If that is successful, Artemis III will see the astronauts land on the Moon, potentially in 2025.
Harris chairs the National Space Council as part of her vice presidential duties.
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