Hurricane Ward forces NASA’s big moon mission off the launch pad again.
Hurricane Ian, which hits Florida, caused the expected landing on Thursday (September 29) NASA to decide to undo Artemis 1 the mission space launch system The agency said (SLS) megarocket to shelter from the launch pad Via a blog post (Opens in a new tab) Monday (September 26).
Artemis 1 was supposed to take off for the moon October 2, although it has already been delayed several times; It was Ian already forced delay From a planned attempt Tuesday (September 27). No new launch date has been set.
The agency will start moving the massive and unmanned SLS missile Orion spacecraft at 11 p.m. EDT on Monday (0400 GMT Tuesday, September 27). Live coverage of the 8- to 10-hour flight will be available here on Space.com, via NASA TV (Opens in a new tab)And the As well as on the NASA website, app, and social media.
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Next, Artemis 1 will emerge from the storm at NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building. The wind is expected to arrive At least 76 mph (Opens in a new tab) (122 km/h), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). After the storm, NASA said a slide into at least mid-October is a possibility.
“The decision allows employees time to meet the needs of their families and protect the integrated rocket and spacecraft system,” NASA wrote in the blog post. “The time of the first movement also depends on the best expected conditions for the retreat to meet the weather parameters of the movement.”
NASA administrators made the decision using data from NOAA, US space force (who manages the launch range surrounding the agency Kennedy Space Center), and the National Hurricane Center.
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Artemis I update: NASA will return the Artemis I Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Monday, September 26. The first movement is targeted at 11pm EST. More: https://t.co/817ahBkTqy pic.twitter.com/3xJ0O5pnPNSeptember 26, 2022
This will be Artemis 1’s third stay in the VAB. The mission was there for the initial integration, then moved to the June 6 platform for an initial refueling test. after many Problems with the test On June 20, the big stack Backtracked again July 2 to VAB for further integration, then Return to the launch pad August 16 and 17, as several release dates have passed since then due to weather or technical issues. (also agency completed successfully Another fuel test last week.)
NASA administrators said the system has been evaluated for two additional returns to VAB, so after this hurricane decision, it looks like the stack will need to be operational after it returns to the launch pad. The Artemis 1 mission requires Orion to orbit the moon and return on a mission of approximately 40 days, such as a sailing trip in front of the crew Artemis 2 Not before 2024.
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