by CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The countdown has begun for the launch of NASA’s beleaguered Artemis 1 lunar mission.
Despite some concerns about damage to the $4.1 billion Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle and Orion spacecraft from Hurricane Nicole, NASA is continuing with its current launch attempt. Artemis 1 is currently counting down to a two-hour launch window beginning 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 airs on Space.com courtesy of NASA Television, the NASA mobile app (opens in new tab)and the agency’s official website (opens in new tab). Broadcasting of prelaunch activities will begin at 3:30 p.m. EST (2030 GMT) when the agency begins the Space Launch System’s cryogenic fuel process.
Related: Watch NASA’s Artemis 1 launch online for free
Read more: NASA’s Artemis 1 Moon Mission: Live Updates
Artemis 1 was originally scheduled to launch at the end of August, but refueling issues caused a one-month delay. Then came Hurricane Ian, causing further delays as NASA rolled the Artemis 1 SLS stack from Launch Pad 39B into the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for the shelter of the massive Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). After being rolled out to the path on November 4, SLS again had to endure Hurricane Nicole, which exposed the vehicle to high winds while it weakened to a tropical storm shortly after landfall.
Despite the fact that the SLS vehicle and Orion spacecraft sustained some minor damage during Hurricane Nicole, NASA officials are confident in their decision to push for the Nov. 16 launch attempt. “There’s 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 conducting analysis of the damage.
One of the main concerns is a thin strip of insulating seal known as RTV, which smooths out a small groove around the Orion spacecraft to prevent unwanted airflow and heating during flight. Part of RTV was torn loose by Nicole’s wind, and there are now concerns more could shake loose during launch and pose a debris hazard to SLS.
Read more: NASA orders 3 more Orion crew capsules for Artemis lunar missions
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The Artemis 1 mission team has been analyzing the risks posed by the damaged RTV, as the massive countdown timer here at KSC continues to tick down to the November 16 launch window.
“The unanimous recommendation to the team was that we were in a good position to go ahead and continue the launch countdown,” said Jeremy Parsons, deputy manager of NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program at Kennedy Space Center. in Florida, during a media conference call on Monday (Nov. 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 the first in NASA’s new lunar exploration program that will see astronauts orbit the moon with a crewed Artemis 2 launch in 2024, and put humans back on the moon near the moon’s south pole in 2025 or 2026 with Artemis 3.
Artemis 1 will last nearly 26 days when it launches, ending with the Orion capsule crashing into the Pacific Ocean after entering Earth’s atmosphere at 25,000 mph (40,200 km/h).
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