NASA's Artemis 1 mission management team has approved the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the next launch attempt, which will take place on Wednesday, November 16.
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The SLS rocket survived relatively unscathed during its exposure to Hurricane Nicole, a Category 1 storm that swept through the West Palm Beach area of Florida on Friday. NASA has a two-hour launch window at 1:04 a.m. EST Wednesday. The countdown will begin at 1:54 a.m. Monday, it said.
Instead of bringing the SLS back during the nine-hour journey to the Vehicle Assembly Building, NASA tethered it to the launch pad.
This will be the third launch attempt for Artemis 1, after technical difficulties forced NASA to abandon the first two attempts. The Artemis 1 mission is a test run around the moon and back to Earth in preparation for future human to the Moon and beyond.
The SLS rocket, which is 97 meters tall, can withstand winds of up to 85 mph at the 18-meter level. Category 1 storms have winds ranging from 74 to 95 mph.
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The weather forecast for a launch attempt on the morning of November 16th from Florida is positive. Winds are expected to be light, with partly to mostly clear skies. If technical issues prevent the launch , NASA has another chance on Saturday, November 19th. The agency has one last chance to launch this month on November 25th, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States.
Information source: zdnet.com
