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Here’s How to Track the Orion Spacecraft After the SLS Sends It to the Moon This Weekend

Earlier this week, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was not that eager to leave Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, so NASA had to postpone the start of humanity’s second lunar exploration program.
Artemis I on the launch pad 13 photos
Photo: NASA
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As it stands, the launch of Artemis I is now scheduled for 2:17 p.m. EDT on Saturday, September 3. NASA will resume the countdown (it was stopped at T-minus 40 minutes), but only at the opening of a planned 2.5-hour built-in hold.

This second attempt will probably go along the same lines as the first one, with long wait times between exciting stuff happening. But once the SLS gets going, a spectacle of at least solar system proportions will be unleashed, as the uncrewed Orion capsule will start its 1.3 million miles journey and a mission that is expected to last close to 38 days.

To make sure we don’t miss on the exciting stuff that’ll probably happen while Orion is en route, NASA set up a while ago a way to track the thing. Called the Artemis Real-time Orbit Website (AROW), the tool gives the chance to anyone with internet access to see how far the Orion is from Earth at any given time, but also in relation to the Moon.

With the Orion not in space yet, AROW somehow ironically reads at the moment “We temporarily lost our signal and are trying to reconnect – hand tight. While we work on it, please try refreshing the page, or check nasa.gov for mission updates.”

Just like during the first launch attempt, autoevolution will live text Saturday’s events, and we’ll also throw in pics and info right from next to Launch Pad 39B. So stay tuned and join us in living the moments humans of the future will read about in history books.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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