Despite facing widespread criticism about her extensive travels so far this year, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is once again out of town.
Cantrell is in Florida to attend Monday’s launch of Artemis I from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Artemis I is the first planned uncrewed test flight in NASA’s Artemis program. That program is designed to eventually bring humans back to the moon, a feat that has not been accomplished since Apollo XVII in 1972.
Cantrell, who last week explained her travels by saying she is an “ambassador” for New Orleans, cites the Artemis I Space Launch System’s construction at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as her reason for going.
Progress is a defining characteristic of our City, and it's only fitting that the women and men of New Orleans play such a vital role in this historic space mission,” Cantrell said in a statement. “The Artemis rocket, proudly developed and constructed in New Orleans East, will explore the heavens, and the knowledge she returns will benefit our world for generations to come."
Cantrell has come under fire from city council members and residents alike for spending tens of thousands of dollars on domestic and foreign travel, flying in first or business class and staying in expensive hotels. Her travels and the expenses tied to them are among the reasons listed on a recall petition by the recall organizers seeking to remove Cantrell from office.
