Artemis 1 (Joel Kowsky/Nasa via AP)
(Picture: AP)Nasa has said the next launch attempt of its Artemis I Orion spacecraft will be this weekend.
On Saturday September 3, it plans to launch the uncrewed rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
After a failed attempt in August, when its engines were unable to be cooled enough to launch, the hardware was updated to address the issues.
"There’s no guarantee that we’re going to get off on Saturday, but we’re gonna try," Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, said during a news conference on Thursday evening.
The launch is expected to go ahead over the Labor Day weekend, despite predicted rainfall – as experts say it will be limited during the launch window.
People may get involved online, by asking questions on social media using the hashtag “#Artemis”.
What time is the Artemis I launch in the UK and how can I watch it?
A limited number of seats were assigned to journalists who will be able to view the event from the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday.
For the general public, the launch will be livestreamed on the Nasa website here.
The launch period will begin at 1pm Eastern time in the US (6pm BST). Full coverage of the event in English will begin 45 minutes before. The launch itself is scheduled for 2.17pm EST (7.17pm BST) but could be up to two and half hours later. The post-launch conference with Nasa experts will be held at 6pm EST (11pm BST).
At 9.45pm EST (2.45am BST) coverage will begin of Orion’s first outbound trajectory burn on the way to the Moon. Half an hour later, around 10.15pm EST (3.15am BST), the first views of Earth from Orion will be streamed for viewing.
Launch coverage will also stream on the Nasa website, as well as its Facebook, Twitch, Nasa YouTube channels and in 4K on Nasa’s UHD channel.
All times in the schedule are subject to change, based on the exact lift off time.
