All eyes were on Titusville, Florida for the launch of Artemis I’s Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on November 16, 2022. On the eve of the 16th, Artemis I blasted off from Launch Complex 39B in NASA’s modernized Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the “first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence at the Moon for decades to come” (NASA). 

Among those gathered to watch the rocket ascend was a host of EPSS graduate students from Professor David Paige’s cohort. In Florida to attend a joint meeting for NASA’s Diviner and Lunar Flashlight–a radiometer instrument aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and a small cubesat in search of lunar ice, respectively–the timing and location coincided perfectly with the launch date.

Graduate student Tyler Horvath spoke about the awe-inspiring experience, stating that, “Getting the opportunity to visit Kennedy Space Center a day before the SLS rocket took the Orion capsule to the Moon and watching the launch live really felt like we were a part of the biggest moment in human space exploration since Apollo.”

“We were all worried the launch was going to be pushed back (again) due to the hurricane that rolled through just days prior, but after a few hours of delays we watched the sky light up as Artemis ushered in a new era of humanity, pushing the boundaries of what is possible.”

Learn more about Artemis I through the NASA mission page.

Watch Horvath's video of the launch below, and view some photo highlights of his trip by clicking "More Images" to the right.

Artemis I launch, on the evening of Nov 16, 2022. | Credit: Tyler Horvath