Mission will get the US closer to taking astronauts to the Moon after 5 decades
The launch attempt of the Artemis I mission is rescheduled to November 16. Photo: NASA/ Twitter. The United State’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) again postponed its long-delayed uncrewed mission to the Moon November 8, 2022, according to the agency’s official website.
The launch attempt of the Artemis I mission is rescheduled to November 16 as Tropical Storm Nicole barreled toward the east coast of Florida. NASA postponed the much-awaited launch three times since summer this year.
“We have decided to re-target the Artemis I mission launch to Wednesday, November 16, pending safe conditions for employees to return to work,” noted a tweet from the mission’s official account.
Also read: 5 things you need to know about this NASA mission
Adjusting the launch date for Artemis I prioritises employee safety and allows our team to tend to the needs of their families and homes, Jim Free, a senior official at the US space agency, wrote on Twitter.
Currently, Kennedy Space Center is under a hurcon (hurricane condition) III status, requiring securing facilities, property and equipment at the centre.
“Teams are poised to resume work as soon as the weather allows. Once back on-site, technicians will perform walk-downs and inspections at the pad to assess the status of the rocket and spacecraft,” said NASA, in a press release.
The storm in the Atlantic Ocean would intensify into a hurricane Wednesday (November 9) night or Thursday (November 10) morning near the Bahamas before making landfall in Florida, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
The rocket was brought back to vehicle assembly building to shield it from Hurricane Ian after two launch attempts were cancelled due to technical issues.
Also read: NASA calls for more astronauts for its Artemis programme
The 98-meter rocket was hauled back last week on a sizable platform known as the crawler-transporter, developed to reduce vibrations.
Some experts are worried that the rocket — costing several billion dollars — would be damaged by hurricane debris.
The launch will occur during a two-hour window, opening at 1:04 am. NASA has set a backup launch window for November 19 if necessary.
The mission will get the US closer to taking astronauts to the Moon after five decades. NASA’s Artemis mission aims to send the first woman and person of colour to the Moon, according to the official website.
The agency continues to base its assessments on the most recent data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Space Force and the National Hurricane Center.
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