CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The countdown is on for the launch of NASA’s beleaguered Artemis 1 moon mission. Despite some concerns about damage to the vehicle and the $4.1 billion Orion spacecraft due to Hurricane Nicole, NASA is moving forward with the current launch attempt. Artemis 1 is currently counting down a two-hour launch window that begins Wednesday (Nov. 16) at 1:04 a.m. EST (0604 GMT). You can watch the launch live online here on Space.com courtesy of NASA. Live event coverage of the Artemis 1 countdown and launch will be broadcast on Space.com courtesy of NASA Television, the NASA mobile app (opens in a new tab) and the agency’s official website (opens in a new tab) . Broadcast of pre-launch activities begins at 3:30 p.m. EST (2030 GMT), when the agency begins the process of cryogenically fueling the Space Launch System. Artemis 1 was originally scheduled to launch in late August, but power glitches caused a month-long delay. Then came Hurricane Ian, which caused further delays as NASA withdrew the Artemis 1 SLS stack from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to the shelter of the massive Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). After it exists rolls into the pillow Once again on November 4, the SLS had to outrun Hurricane Nicole, which subjected the vehicle to strong winds while it weakened to a tropical storm shortly after landfall. Despite the fact that the SLS vehicle and Orion spacecraft suffered minor damage during Hurricane Nicole, NASA officials are confident in their decision to aim for the November 16 launch attempt. “There is no change in our plan to try to launch on the 16th,” Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager at NASA headquarters in Washington, said during a media conference call Monday (Nov. 14) after analyzes of the damage. One of the main areas of concern is a thin strip of insulating caulk known as RTV that lines a small groove surrounding the Orion spacecraft to prevent unwanted airflow and heating during flight. A section of the RTV was loosened by Nicole’s winds, and there are now concerns that more could loosen during liftoff and create a debris hazard for the SLS. Read more: NASA orders 3 more Orion crew capsules for Artemis moon missions
A NASA image showing a damaged section of RTV insulating sleeve on the exterior of the Orion spacecraft of the Artemis 1 mission. (Image credit: NASA) (opens in new tab) The Artemis 1 mission team is analyzing the risks associated with the damaged RTV as the massive countdown timer here at KSC continues to count down to the November 16 launch window. “The unanimous recommendation to the team was that we were in a good position to move forward and move forward with the launch countdown,” Jeremy Parsons, associate director of NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, said during a media conference call. update for Monday (November 14). Artemis 1 will be the maiden voyage for SLS and the second flight for the Orion capsule following a test flight atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket in 2014. If all goes according to plan, the mission will be first in NASA’s new lunar exploration program that will see astronauts orbit the moon with the launch of the crewed Artemis 2 in 2024 and return humans to the moon near the lunar south pole with Artemis 3 in 2025 or 2026 . Artemis 1 will last nearly 26 days when launched, ending with the Orion capsule blasting into the Pacific Ocean after re-entering Earth’s atmosphere at 25,000 mph (40,200 km/h). Follow Brett on Twitter at @brettingley (opens in a new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or enabled Facebook (opens in a new tab).
