Speaker 1 (00:00):
6:46. We’re going to take you straight to Florida. There you go.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Is it happening?
Speaker 1 (00:06):
It’s about to happen. I believe. After many failed attempts, the Artemis I rocket, that’s what we’re looking at now, we believe is just a few moments from potentially taking off. We’ve been here before.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
We have. This would be fourth time lucky, wouldn’t it? Should we listen in?
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Houses the three flight computers is now on battery power, so there is no more hold time available because there’s no more margin on the batteries so if we have a hold, we’d have to recycle back to T minus 10 minutes and recharge those batteries. The count continues.
(00:43)
A note, now, shortly after liftoff.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
One minute.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Shortly after liftoff, mission control Houston will take control of the rocket and my colleague, Leah Cheshire, will take over-
Speaker 2 (00:56):
About a minute to go and this is an unmanned rocket that NASA-
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Coming up at T minus 33 seconds-
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Towards the moon in the hope that this will prepare for an actual manned mission to the moon in the next year or so
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Because of course they haven’t been able to send a man mission for half a century. This is designed to eventually send astronauts and equipment back to the moon. No people on board this one, as John just said, but if it works, the next step is to take astronauts along for the ride.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Should we hear the count down?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Now flowing under the ML and here we go.
Speaker 5 (01:38):
10.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Hydrogen burn off igniters initiate. Seven, six, five, four, stage engine start three, two, one. Boosters in ignition and lift off of Artemis I. We rise together back to the moon and beyond.
Speaker 6 (02:06):
Five engines on the core stage and two solid rocket boosters now propelling the vehicle at 128 miles per hour. Hearing good control on the roll from teams in Mission Control Houston, all good calls so far. Now 30 seconds into the flight of Artemis I. First milestone will be for the vehicle to pass the Max Q in about one minute and nine seconds into launch. This is the greatest period of atmospheric force on the rocket.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
You’re watching BBC Breakfast. That is Artemis the rocket finally, after several attempts, leaving the launch pad on its way heading towards the moon.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
We have liftoff at last. It’s a mission that’s going to last 25 days. Artemis is going to travel 1.3 million miles and we’re expecting it to return on the 11th of December. But there we go, Artemis. This time it’s real pictures. We’ve shown graphic representation of what it might look like in the past, but it has actually happened at last.