Liftoff of NASA’s new mega-rocket to the Moon for the long-awaited Artemis 1 test mission will not be able to take place on Tuesday as announced due to the formation of a storm, the space agency announced on Saturday .
Under the threat of tropical storm Ian, currently south of Jamaica, NASA must prepare the rocket to return to its assembly building. The storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane in the coming days and rise via the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida, where the Kennedy Space Center is located from where the rocket is to take off.
This cancellation is in addition to the failed launches due to the numerous technical difficulties that the mission experienced during its first two tests a few weeks ago.
A new setback
The orange and white SLS rocket can withstand, on its launch pad, wind gusts of up to 137 km/h. The current firing period, which runs until October 4, will therefore be missed. The next period runs from October 17 to 31, with one possibility of take-off per day (except from October 24 to 26 and 28).
This setback is a blow for NASA, which has just overcome two other problems. At the very beginning of September, the takeoff had been canceled at the last moment because of a liquid hydrogen leak during the filling of the tanks with this fuel. A damaged seal has since been replaced, and NASA passed a ground test this week to verify the repairs.
In addition, the US Space Force, in charge of public safety, has agreed to extend the certification period for the rocket’s emergency self-destruct system batteries. This derogation had to be granted in order to be able to take off on Tuesday, or on the fallback date, October 2.
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