NASA’s Moon Rocket Threatened by Tropical Storm
The SLS rocket, which has never flown before after two last-minute delays, has been installed on the launch pad in Florida, for takeoff scheduled for November 14.
On Monday, NASA decided, based on forecasts available at the time, to leave the rocket on the launch pad, where it was placed for only a few days.
France Press agency
Tropical Storm Nicole was heading to the east coast of Florida on Tuesday, as NASA’s New Moon rocket remained on the launch pad with a scheduled liftoff attempt in less than a week, but who might bother.
Some observers are even concerned about the safety of the SLS missile in the face of strong winds, which can carry debris. The storm, which is currently over the Atlantic Ocean, is expected to develop into a hurricane on Wednesday near the Bahamas, before making landfall in Florida on Wednesday night or Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Wind 100 km/h
A hurricane warning has been issued for the coast, where the Kennedy Space Center is located, and where the rocket will launch. On Monday, NASA announced that it had decided, based on forecasts available at the time, to leave the rocket on the launch pad, where it had been placed for only a few days. The 98-meter machine had to be returned to its assembly building at the end of September, a few kilometers away, to protect it from Hurricane Ian.
When Ian approached, John Blevins, chief engineer of the rocket, explained at a press conference that NASA teams were observing a certain threshold: “To stay on the launch pad, we want to see peak winds of less than 74.1 knots. (note: i.e. 137 km/h)‘, he stated. Early Tuesday afternoon, strong winds in Nicole were “100 km/h with higher gusts,” according to the NHC. The storm is expected to intensify.
2 backup dates
On Monday, NASA said it was “assessing the status of the takeoff attempt” scheduled for November 14 based on developing weather conditions. Two backup take-off dates were previously announced, November 16 and 19.
The missile, which has never flown before, and whose takeoff was canceled at the last minute twice this summer due to technical problems, is estimated at several billion dollars. The Artemis 1 test mission, without an astronaut on board, is to determine the first flight of a major US program to return to the Moon.
Artemis should make it possible to take the first woman and first person of color to the moon in 2025 at the earliest. NASA also wants to establish a permanent human presence there, including building a space station in lunar orbit. For the US space agency, this is a step that should then allow for a first trip to Mars.
France Press agency
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