The unmanned Artemis 1 mission to the moon is scheduled to launch as soon as September 27th, according to NASA.
The timing is contingent upon the engineering team successfully refueling the space Launch System rocket and
obtaining a waiver to forgo repeating the testing of the emergency flight system batteries.
If not, the rocket will need to be wheeled back to the facility where it was assembled, delaying the launch by a few weeks.
A 70-minute launch window begins on September 27 at 11:37 a.m. EDT, and the Orion spacecraft would splash down on November 5 (the following date is October 2).
As part of the planning for a human journey to the Moon, Artemis 1 will test the SLS and unmanned Orion spacecraft.
The spacecraft will travel 60 miles at its closest approach to the Moon, which will take many days.
Testing the 16-foot-diameter thermal shield of the capsules when they re-enter the atmosphere is one of the main objectives.
Artemis 2 won't make a lunar landing when it comes next.