This time it’s the right one…or at least we hope so. NASA announced on Friday that it is maintaining its attempt to launch its new mega-rocket for the Moon next week, Wednesday, November 16, after inspections having revealed only minor damage following the passage of Hurricane Nicole in Florida.
The takeoff of the SLS rocket, the most powerful ever designed by NASA, must take place on Wednesday at 1:04 a.m. local time (7:04 a.m. French time), with a possible launch window of two hours. “Nothing prevents” a takeoff on this date, said Jim Free, associate administrator at NASA, adding that the space agency’s teams had again been able to access the launch pad on Thursday.
The Artemis 1 test mission must propel the Orion capsule, without an astronaut on board, to the Moon, without landing there. If takeoff takes place on Wednesday, the mission would last 25 and a half days, with the capsule returning to the Pacific Ocean on December 11.
Fallback dates in case of unforeseen circumstances
The American space agency, however, has many preparation operations to carry out by Wednesday, in particular the powering up of the vehicle and a series of technical tests. An element at the foot of the rocket, possibly damaged, may need to be replaced.
Two fallback dates are planned if necessary, November 19 and 25, announced Jim Free. “Right now we’re focused on the 16th, and if we get stuck because of something we find during power-up or testing, then we’ll have to think about the 19th November,” he said.
Under the threat of hurricanes
Category 1 Hurricane Nicole winds blew through the rocket as it stood outside on its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. But they did not exceed the limits she could endure, according to Jim Free. He conceded, however, that if NASA had known that a hurricane was approaching, the rocket would certainly have been left safe in its assembly building.
The rocket had been re-entered there at the end of September to be protected from another hurricane, Ian, but had been re-emerged only a few days before the passage of Nicole. Before that, two take-off attempts had been canceled at the last moment during the summer, due to technical problems.
Artemis 1 will mark the launch of the flagship Artemis program, which is to take the first woman and the first person of color to the Moon, in 2025 at the earliest. NASA wants to establish a lasting human presence there, including the construction of a space station in orbit around the Moon. For the space agency, this is a step that should then allow a first trip to Mars.