The first rapid inspection reported that the rocket of NASA’s mission to the moon, Artemis 1, suffered no apparent major damage after Hurricane Nicole hit Florida, the US space agency said on Thursday.
However, employees at the site will conduct further checks as soon as possible to confirm the status of the rocket, NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free said in a posted message. On twitter.
NASA teams “performed initial visual checks” of the rocket, codenamed SLS, using cameras on its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center, he wrote.
These “camera inspections show very minor damage, such as loose joints and dents in the protections” against the weather, he added.
A hurricane not strong enough
Hurricane Nicole made landfall Wednesday through Thursday night on Florida’s east coast as a Category 1 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. Sensors installed on the launch pad, about 20 meters high, detected gusts of up to 132 km / h, but these conditions are not more than what the rocket can withstand, said Jim Free.
NASA previously announced that SLS was designed to withstand winds of 74.4 knots, or around 137 km/h.
“Our concern right now is our employees,” many of whom are without power, “and then getting back to takeoff operations,” he added.
The launch is currently scheduled in less than a week, on November 16 at 1:04 local time, a date that remains pending inspections of the rocket. If necessary, an alternative date is available on November 19.
Source: BFM TV
