ksc-20201030-ph-kls01_0008medium.jpg The mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission, atop crawler-transporter 2, arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 30, 2020. Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA will host a media teleconference at noon EST today, Wednesday, Feb. 2, to discuss progress toward the launch of the agency’s uncrewed Artemis I mission.

Audio of the teleconference will stream live online at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

The agency will roll the combined Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for testing no earlier than March 2022. While the teams are not working any major issues, NASA has added additional time to complete closeout activities inside the VAB prior to rolling the rocket out for the first time.

Participating in the briefing are:

• Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, NASA Headquarters in Washington
• Mike Bolger, Exploration Ground Systems program manager, Kennedy
• Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager, NASA Headquarters

To participate in the call, media must RSVP by 11:30 a.m. to Antonia Jaramillo at: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov.

Engineers are conducting final integrated tests of Orion and SLS along with the ground equipment, prior to rolling the rocket and spacecraft to the launch pad for a final test, known as the wet dress rehearsal. This final test will run the rocket and launch team through operations to load propellant into the fuel tanks and conduct a full launch countdown. Following a successful rehearsal, NASA will roll the stack back into the VAB for final checks and set a target date for launch.

Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

Learn more about NASA’s Artemis I mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

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Press Contacts

Kathryn Hambleton
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
kathryn.hambleton@nasa.gov

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