Artemis I is having a rough go at it. Initially set to launch three months ago, the uncrewed mission has been delayed from its latest potential launch date on November 14th because of Tropical Storm Nicole. Set to make landfall late Wednesday into Thursday morning off the Eastern Coast of Florida, mission officials opted to push the launch back further into next week to give proper time to assess any potential damage that may have taken place at the Kennedy Space Center’s launchpad 39B.
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As it stands now, the Artemis I rocket is designed to withstand winds upwards of 74 knots or 85 miles per hour. That means it’s built to withstand a battering from Category 1 and Category 2 hurricanes. It’s unclear if Nicole will make landfall as a tropical storm or hurricane.
When will Artemis I launch now?
The launch is now tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, November 16th should the conditions and inspections allow. Late last month, substantial delays were incurred when officials were forced to roll the Artemis I rocket back inside because of Hurricane Ian. In a blog post Tuesday night, NASA officials confirmed Artemis I would remain at the launchpad throughout the duration of the storm barring any sizable shifts in intensity.
“In preparation for the storm, teams have powered down the Orion spacecraft, SLS core stage, interim cryogenic propulsion stage, and boosters,” officials wrote in the blog post. “Engineers have also installed a hard cover over the launch abort system window, retracted and secured the crew access arm on the mobile launcher and configured the settings for the environmental control system on the spacecraft and rocket elements. Teams also are securing nearby hardware and performing walkdowns for potential debris in the area.”
What is the Artemis I mission about?
Artemis I officially kicks off NASA’s Artemis program, arguably the biggest effort NASA has coordinated in recent memory. While Artemis I is uncrewed, future installments such as Artemis II and Artemis III will include full crews of astronauts in an attempt to get the United States back on the moon.
Should all go to plan and Artemis I is ready for its November 16th launch, officials would launch the rocket at 1:04 a.m. Eastern. The capsule would then spend two weeks in space before flying around the moon and splashdown on December 11th. Should November 16th fall through, officials already have a back-up launch strategy for Saturday, November 19th.
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