NASA Says Artemis I October Launch Will Be 'Difficult', Shelters SLS Rocket From Hurricane Ian

NASA on Tuesday said it will be "difficult" to make its third attempt at launching its Artemis I Moon rocket in October. The US space agency said that the following possible launch windows are from October 17 to 31, then from November 12 to 27. Meanwhile, NASA has also moved the powerful SLS rocket to its storage hangar in order to protect it from the approaching Hurricane Ian.

NASA said the Artemis I lunar mission was scheduled to launch in September but due to the onset of a Hurricane near Florida, the launch was postponed. As per NASA officials, the launch is unlikely in October but the launch in November is feasible.As per a NASA official. In order to protect it from Hurricane Ian's approach, NASA's most powerful rocket yet, the SLS, had to be brought back to its storage hangar for the night.

It will take days to raise the 320-foot-tall rocket, move it to the launch pad and then set it up for takeoff. The launch of the eagerly anticipated Artemis 1 mission will thus be severely delayed due to the most recent setback.

What is NASA Artemis I mission:

(Image source: NASA)

Artemis I mission is NASA project to explore lunar after 50 years of the Apollo moon landing NASA's planned to explore the lunar surface. The Artemis I mission was scheduled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida, during a two-hour window that opened at 8:33am EDT (12:33 GMT), on Monday, August 29. However, due to an issue with engine number three, the launch was postponed.

Artemis moon mission is a long-term plan of NASA to build a long-term presence on the Moon’s surface. They are going to create a Artemis colony to carry out long-term exploration.

What are the benefits of Artemis Mission?

With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of colour on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. NASA will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon.

According to NASA, it is “going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers”.

Ten shoebox-sized satellites called CubeSats, carried inside the rocket, will pop off once Orion is hurtling towards the Moon. They will conduct a range of science experiments and technology demonstrations in deep space.

The Orion will carry a few slivers of Moon rocks collected by Apollo 11′s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969, and a bolt from one of their rocket engines, salvaged from the sea 10 years ago.

When will NASA Artemis I launched next:

NASA Artemis mission has already been aborted earlier once at the final stage, this time too it was aborted in very last moment. So the process of removing of the giant SLS from the launchpad have been done and currently in the storage hangar to prevent it from damaging during the hurricane. It is unlikely that the Artemis I october launch will be possible, most probably the Artemis I will be launch in the month of November. 

The next possible launch windows - determined according to the positions of the Earth and the Moon - are from October 17 to 31, then from November 12 to 27.