"We have placeholders on the [rocket launching] range for August 29, September 2 and September 5," Free said during a press conference. "We will make the agency commitment [to one of those dates] at the flight review."
Artemis mission manager Mike Sarafin said that if Artemis launched on August 29 or September 5, it would carry out a 42-day longer duration mission before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean to be recovered. However, if the launch took place on September 2, it would be scheduled for a 39-day mission, he added,
"The main goal of the mission is to test the heat shield. .... Validating the heat shield is our primary objective," Sarafin said.
Artemis-1 is scheduled to orbit the Moon repeatedly before returning and re-entering the earth's atmosphere faster and withstanding greater heat levels than any previous human-rated spacecraft, according to NASA officials.