NASA said Friday that it will attempt to launch its massive rocket onto the moon again in November. It has not yet announced an exact date for this launch delay for the Artemis 1 mission.
The US space agency has announced that it is preparing for the “launch of Artemis 1 during the firing period that will open on November 12 and end on November 27.” “In the coming days, officials will set a specific date for the next launch attempt,” NASA added in a blog post.
Officials had so far refused to shut the door completely to a faster attempt in October. But the SLS, the most powerful rocket the US space agency has ever built, had to be returned to the assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center at the start of the week for hurricane protection. Ian, who devastated parts of Florida.
The space agency reassured that the missile was “not damaged”. She said that “focusing efforts” on the November shooting period would allow NASA employees to “take care of their families and their homes after the storm.” Before launching the missile on the launch pad, the teams will first have to perform several checks, in particular changing or recharging the batteries of some items.
Two failed attempts
NASA has already made two launches of this rocket, at the end of August and then at the beginning of September, but both had to be canceled at the last minute due to technical issues. In development for more than a decade, the SLS has yet to fly.
Artemis is NASA’s new flagship program, which will allow humans to return to the moon, and take the first woman and first people of color there.
Fifty years after the last Apollo mission, the Artemis 1 mission will not take an astronaut on board. It should be used to verify that the Orion capsule on top of the rocket is safe for future crew transportation.
/ ATS
