File:Artemis I Preflight (KSC-20220823-PH-KLS01 0142).jpg

English: Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I launch, a flight of T-38 supersonic trainer aircraft from the Johnson Space Center Aircraft Operations Division flies in formation over the agency’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft on the pad at Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Aug. 23, 2022. Pilots and passengers of the five aircraft include NASA Research Pilot Chris Condon and NASA Astronaut Zena Cardman in the lead plane, followed by NASA astronaut candidate Nichole Ayers and NASA astronaut Christina Koch in the second plane, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronaut Drew Morgan in the third plane, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba in the fourth plane, and NASA astronaut candidate Jack Hathaway and Josh Valcarcel, NASA photographer, in the chase plane. Artemis I is scheduled to launch at 8:33 a.m. EDT on Aug. 29, 2022. 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 byoperating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.