Artemis I Launch Rollout

During rollout operations for NASA’s Artemis I Moon rocket, the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building is visible in the background behind the countdown clock at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022. As part of the agency’s Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft is scheduled to liftoff on Monday, Aug. 29. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by launching Orion atop the SLS rocket, operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.