NASA delayed the launch of its new lunar rocket, scheduled for Tuesday, as part of the Artemis I mission, due to a tropical storm that is expected to become a major hurricane.
This is the third time in the last month that the test flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is expected to carry dummies instead of astronauts to lunar orbit, has been postponed in an attempt to continue the Apollo program, which led to man landing on the moon and lasted until about half a century ago.
Fuel (hydrogen) leaks and other technical problems caused the previous delays.
The delay is related to Tropical Storm Ian, currently churning in the Caribbean, which is expected to become a hurricane on Monday and hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday, then follow a path that could include the Kennedy Space Center. , from NASA.
Given forecast uncertainties, NASA today decided to forgo Tuesday’s planned launch attempt and instead prepare the 98-meter rocket for a possible return to its hangar.
On Sunday it will be decided whether the SLS will be removed from the launch pad.
If the rocket remains on the pad, NASA can attempt a launch on October 2, but if it has to be pulled, the test flight probably won’t be able to take place until November.
The Space Launch System rocket is the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA.
If their first test flight goes well, astronauts could board an upcoming mission in 2024 and land two people on the moon in 2025.
Source: TSF
