The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule are designed to withstand winds of up to 85 mph, officials say, above those currently predicted for the rare Atlantic hurricane of late, which had scheduled to make landfall early Thursday on Florida’s east coast south of the Kennedy Space Center. NASA pushed back Monday’s planned launch by two days to Wednesday, Nov. 16, and is nervously watching the path of Nicole, which was forecast to reach or be near hurricane strength after strengthening at sea during the day on Wednesday. The agency has stationed a “landing” team at the space center to monitor the spacecraft through the storm, which already had 45 mph gusts Wednesday morning, according to reporters on the ground. “Based on the expected weather conditions and pre-storm return options, the agency determined that the safest option for the launch material was to keep the Orion rocket and capsule secured to the pad,” the agency said in a blog update. “Current forecasts predict that the biggest risks to the pad are strong winds that are not expected to overcome the SLS design. The rocket is designed to withstand heavy rainfall on the launch pad, and the spacecraft’s hatches are secured to prevent water ingress.” The risk of a direct hit on the space center from Nicole appeared to recede Wednesday as the National Hurricane Center in Miami pushed the storm’s forecast track farther south. However, there remained a chance of hurricane-force winds in excess of 74 mph reaching Cape Canaveral. The delay is the latest to affect the uncrewed Artemis I flight, which will send a human-rated capsule around the moon and back for the first time since the Apollo lunar landing program was canceled 50 years ago. Previous launch attempts in August and September were canceled after engineers discovered an engine cooling problem and then were unable to fix an unrelated fuel leak. Hopes for an early October launch were dashed when the threat of Hurricane Ian forced the space agency to roll the giant rocket back to the safety of its hangar. If Artemis 1 ultimately succeeds, astronauts will embark on an intermediate test flight along the same 40,000-mile route to the moon and back, a trip scheduled for 2024. The first moon landing since Apollo 17 in December of 1972 would follow a year or so later. with Nasa declaring it will carry the first woman to walk on the lunar surface. The new scheduled launch time is Artemis I, at 1.04am. on Nov. 16, with a two-hour window before a 25-day flight and dive on Friday, Dec. 11. An alternate launch opportunity is available on November 19. “Teams are ready to resume operations as soon as weather permits,” NASA said in a statement. “Once back on site, technicians will conduct pad walks and inspections to assess the condition of the rocket and spacecraft as soon as possible.”
