The Artemis I mission launch planned for Monday, Nov. 14, has been delayed by at least two days, NASA has announced, to cope with the impact of Tropical Storm Nicole, expected to crash into Florida on Thursday as a hurricane.
Nicole’s center had sustained winds of 70 mph on Wednesday afternoon, just 4 mph below the level of a hurricane, when it passed over Bahamas’ Great Abaco Island, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
Pushing back the Artemis I launch by two days to Nov. 16 will allow NASA workers to tend to needs of their families and homes and provide time to return to launch status after the storm, NASA said late Tuesday.
A two-hour launch window will open at 1:04 a.m. EST on Nov. 16, with a resulting splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday Dec. 11. If needed, NASA has a back-up launch window on Saturday, Nov. 19.
The 322-foot-tall Artemis I rocket and spacecraft, known as the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft atop it, will remain secured at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center on the eastern coast of Florida. The SLS rocked can withstand 85 mph winds at the 60-foot level, and NASA said forecasts predicted winds not expected to exceed the SLS design. The rocket can withstand heavy rains and spacecraft hatches are secured to prevent water seeping in.
To prep for the storm, teams powered down the Orion spacecraft, SLS core stage, interim cryogenic propulsion stage and boosters. Engineers also installed a hard cover over the launch abort system window and retracted and secured the crew access arm on the mobile launcher. Teams will resume preparations for launch once the weather allows.
The expected launch will be the third attempt after two launch attempts were scrubbed on Aug. 29 and Sept. 3 for technical problems.
Artemis I is an uncrewed mission around the moon, to be followed by planned missions with crews in 2024 and 2025, with a lunar landing in 2025.
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