Florida-bound tropical storm forces new delay to uncrewed Artemis moonshot
The imminent arrival of Tropical Storm Nicole in Florida has prompted Nasa to further delay its first crew-capable moon mission in half a century, although mission managers say they are comfortable leaving the multibilliondollar Artemis spacecraft on its coastal launchpad.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule are designed to withstand winds of up to 85mph, officials say, above those currently predicted for the rare late-season Atlantic cyclone that was set for an early Thursday landfall on Florida’s east coast south of the Kennedy space center.
Nasa has pushed back Monday’s scheduled launch two days to Wednesday 16 November and is nervously watching the path of Nicole, which was forecast to reach, or be near hurricane force, after strengthening at sea during the day on Wednesday.
The agency has placed a “ride-out” team at the space center to monitor the spacecraft through the storm, which was already bringing 45mph gusts on Wednesday morning, according to reporters on site.
“Based on expected weather conditions and options to roll back ahead of the storm, the agency determined the safest option for the launch hardware was to keep the rocket and Orion capsule secured at the pad,” the agency said in a blog update.
“Current forecasts predict the greatest risks at the pad are high winds that are not expected to exceed the SLS design. The rocket is designed to withstand heavy rains at the launch pad and the spacecraft hatches have been secured to prevent water intrusion.”
The risk of a direct strike at the space center from Nicole appeared to recede on Wednesday as the National Hurricane Center in Miami nudged the storm’s forecast track further to the south. But there remained a chance of hurricane-force winds in excess of 74mph reaching Cape Canaveral.
The delay is the latest to affect the uncrewed Artemis I flight, which will send a human-rated capsule around the moon and back for the first time since the Apollo program of lunar landings was canceled 50 years ago.
Earlier launch attempts in August and September were scrapped after engineers discovered an engine cooling problem, then were unable to fix an unrelated fuel leak. Hopes of an early October launch were thwarted when the threat of Hurricane Ian forced the space agency to roll the giant rocket back to the safety of its hangar.
If Artemis 1 ultimately succeeds, astronauts will be onboard an interim test flight along the same route 40,000 miles beyond the moon and back, a trek scheduled for 2024. The first moon landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972 would follow a year or so later, with Nasa declaring it will carry the first woman to walk on the lunar surface.
The new scheduled launch time is Artemis I is 1.04am on 16 November, with a two-hour window before a 25day flight and splashdown on Friday 11 December. A back-up launch opportunity is available on 19 November.
“Teams are poised to resume work as soon as weather allows,” the Nasa statement said.
“Once back onsite, technicians will perform walkdowns and inspections at the pad to assess the status of the rocket and spacecraft as soon as practicable.”