NASA will hold a teleconference today at 1 pm. EDT (1700 GMT) to discuss the stacking of its new Orion spacecraft to its Space Launch System rocket for the Artemis 1 mission and you can tune in live online.
Video: NASA stacks Orion capsule atop SLS megarocket for Artemis 1 moon mission
The NASA briefing will provide and update on NASA's plans for Artemis 1, an uncrewed launch around the moon, that will mark the debut flight of the SLS megarocket. You can listen to the teleconference live here and directly from the NASA.gov/live site.
Speaking during the conference today will be:
- Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, NASA Headquarters;
- Mike Bolger, Exploration Ground Systems program manager, Kennedy;
- Cathy Koerner, Orion program manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center;
- John Honeycutt, SLS program manager, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center;
- Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager, NASA Headquarters.
From NASA:
NASA has completed stacking of the agency’s mega-Moon rocket and spacecraft that will launch the next generation of deep space operations, including Artemis missions on and around the Moon. Engineers and technicians successfully secured the Orion spacecraft atop the fully assembled Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida just before midnight Oct. 21.
NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT today, Friday, Oct. 22, to discuss the completed stacking operations and progress toward the uncrewed Artemis I mission around the Moon. The teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.
“With stacking and integration of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft complete, we’re getting closer and closer to embarking on a new era of human deep space exploration,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Thanks to the team’s hard work designing, manufacturing, testing, and now completing assembly of NASA’s new rocket and spacecraft, we’re in the home stretch of preparations for the first launch on the Artemis I mission, paving the way to explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond for many years to come.”
Participating in the briefing are:
Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, NASA Headquarters
Mike Bolger, Exploration Ground Systems program manager, Kennedy
Cathy Koerner, Orion program manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
John Honeycutt, SLS program manager, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager, NASA Headquarters
The stack now stands 322 feet tall inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA Kennedy as it enters the final phase of testing before launch.
Next up, NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems teams will conduct 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
'ISS Live!' Tune in to the space station
Find out what the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station are up to by tuning in to the "ISS Live" broadcast. Hear conversations between the crew and mission controllers on Earth and watch them work inside the U.S. segment of the orbiting laboratory. When the crew is off duty, you can enjoy live views of Earth from Space. You can watch and listen in the window below, courtesy of NASA.
From NASA:
"Live video from the International Space Station includes internal views when the crew is on-duty and Earth views at other times. The video is accompanied by audio of conversations between the crew and Mission Control. This video is only available when the space station is in contact with the ground. During 'loss of signal' periods, viewers will see a blue screen.
"Since the station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, it experiences a sunrise or a sunset about every 45 minutes. When the station is in darkness, external camera video may appear black, but can sometimes provide spectacular views of lightning or city lights below."
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