How to Watch NASA’s Second Attempt at Launching the Artemis 1 Moon Rocket

“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.

Eager viewers can start watching the tanking operations to load propellants into the rocket at 5:45 a.m. Assuming the launch happens on Saturday, NASA will hold a post-launch news conference at 6 p.m. that will feature NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. Coverage of the mission will continue until 9:45 p.m., when the Orion capsule is expected to make its first outbound trajectory burn as it sets a course for the Moon (this timing may vary depending on when the rocket actually takes off).

The inaugural flight of NASA’s SLS suffered a slight hiccup during its first launch attempt on August 29 when one of the core stage’s four RS-25 engines failed to reach the ultra-cold temperatures required for liftoff. Further analysis confirmed the problem as being caused by a faulty sensor, and that the engine itself very likely reached the desired cryogenic temperature. For Saturday’s launch, teams on the ground will initiate the engine chill-down procedure earlier than usual, according to Sarafin.

The 322-foot-tall (98-meter) rocket is currently sitting atop Launchpad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and with the Orion spacecraft on top. The Artemis 1 mission is the first integrated flight of SLS and Orion. The SLS rocket will boost the uncrewed capsule to orbit, from where it will travel on its own and perform a close flyby of the Moon before returning to Earth. Artemis 1 is meant to set the stage for a crewed Artemis 2 mission in 2024 that will make a similar journey to the Moon, but without landing on the lunar surface. That’s the job of Artemis 3, which is scheduled for late 2025. Through the Artemis program, NASA is attempting to maintain a sustainable human presence on the Moon that may one day allow us to go to Mars.

But first, SLS needs to make it off the launchpad. If Saturday’s launch is a no-go, then NASA may attempt another liftoff on Monday, September 5 or Tuesday, September 6. After that, the SLS rocket would need to be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for further testing, Sarafin told reporters on Friday.

More: Scrubbed Artemis 1 Launch Prompts Concerns About Unfinished Rehearsals