Artemis I Liftoff Activities

NASA dignitaries and launch team members gather inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida after the successful launch of the agency’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft on Nov. 16, 2022. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39B was at 1:47 a.m. EST. From left, are Artemis I Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson; Bob Cabana, NASA associate administrator; NASA Administrator Bill Nelson; Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro; former space shuttle Launch Director Bob Sieck; NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy; Mike Bolger, Exploration Ground Systems manager; former space shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach; and Artemis I Assistant Launch Director Jeremy Graeber. 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 operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.