NASA has again postponed the launch of its ambitious mission to the Moon named Artemis I, which was originally scheduled to take place on November 14. This time, it was caused by Tropical Storm Nicole, which is approaching the Florida coast, the US space agency has informed.
On September 3, NASA attempted to launch Artemis I but called it off after detecting a liquid hydrogen leak.
NASA in an official statement noted that by postponing the launch, its workforce can spend more time with their families and homes. The space agency also said that it would give its launch team enough time to get back to work after the storm passes.
As Nicole approached the Florida coast, NASA decided to delay the launch of the mission to the Moon until November 16. The space agency also said that it would conduct inspections before the launch.
Based on the expected weather conditions and the possible rollback of the launch hardware, NASA decided to keep the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System rocket at the pad.
The goal of the mission is to demonstrate the capabilities of NASA’s space launch system, which includes the Orion spacecraft and the ground systems at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This will allow the agency to carry out a crewed test flight and eventually send humans to the Moon.
The rocket was transported from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the launchpad last week. The launch of the mission was scheduled to take place at 1:04 a.m. on November 14. The rocket is designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 85 mph. Wind speeds of this magnitude can be found near the centers of Category 1 hurricanes.