BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — NASA's Artemis I launch is less than a month away, and Brevard County – home of the Kennedy Space Center – is expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The launch is the first in a series of missions to build a long-term human presence on the moon, according to NASA. The rocket is poised to be the largest and most powerful to launch from the Space Coast in years.
If all goes well, the flight will pave the way for future missions to the moon, including landing the first woman and person of color on its surface.
About the Space Exploration System
The Space Exploration System includes the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System rocket and ground systems at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
The SLS rocket is the most powerful rocket for sending humans on missions to deep space, according to NASA's site. The Orion is designed to sustain humans hundreds of thousands of miles from home.
The grounds systems at the Space Center are built to support the systems and facilities necessary to launch the two spacecrafts.
The SLS rocket stands at 322 feet and at liftoff its mass will be 5.75 million pounds. The Orion spacecraft that sits atop it is 26 feet tall.
"Together, SLS, Orion, and EGS are designed to meet the evolving needs of our nation's deep space exploration program for decades to come," according to NASA.
About the mission
This mission is the first integrated test of NASA's deep space exploration systems.
It's a mission that "will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to return humans to the Moon and extend beyond," NASA's site reads.
The launch window is from 8:33 a.m. to 10:33 a.m. on Aug. 29 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The mission will last 42 days, 3 hours and 20 minutes with its "splashdown" set for Oct. 10 off the coast of San Diego.
While no humans will be aboard this first launch, the Artemis I mission will "set the stage for human exploration into deep space" as the performance of both Orion and SLS will test capabilities of orbiting the Moon and returning to Earth.
The Orion spacecraft will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world, reaching a distance farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever reached before. It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth and 40,000 miles beyond the far side of the moon. It will then stay in space longer than any human spacecraft has without docking to a space station.
While in space, parts of the space exploration system will deploy ten small satellites to study the moon and reach farther deep space destinations.
The final test of the mission will be whether Orion can return safely to Earth. Traveling at 25,000 mph, Orion will enter Earth's atmosphere. It will then slow to 300 mph but will produce temperatures of about 5,000 degrees. If it can pass the speed and extreme heating phase of the flight it will descend into the Pacific ocean where a landing and recovery team will work to safely recover it.
If the launch fails in August, there will be more launch opportunities in October, November and December.
Watch the launch
Florida's Space Coast is no stranger to visitors eager to go to Kennedy Space Center or view a launch. Space Coast officials are expecting over 100,000 people to flock to the coast for the Artemis I launch, according to Florida Today.
Launch packages are available online for purchase. There are three different options: Feel the Heat, Feel the Fun and Main Visitor Complex. You can find out more about these packages here.
As of 1:15, the site was experiencing high call volume and website wait times due to Artemis I launch sales. The Feel the Heat package, which places viewers only 3.5 miles away from the launch pad, was already sold out.
Florida Today reported that surrounding hotels are either selling out or rapidly getting booked, so if you want to make the trip, act fast.
NASA plans to host briefings for the launch. To join, visit this site.
To purchase tickets visit this site.
To find out more information about the mission visit this site.