NASA Says Artemis I October Launch Will Be 'Difficult', Shelters SLS Rocket From Hurricane Ian

NASA's most powerful rocket, the SLS, had to be returned overnight to its storage hangar in order to shelter it from the approach of Hurricane Ian.

Advertisement
Updated: 28 September 2022 11:17 IST
Highlights
  • NASA will have to take the time to change the batteries
  • The latest setback will therefore significantly postpone the launch
  • Two launch attempts had already been aborted

Artemis 2 will take astronauts into orbit around the Moon without landing on its surface

It will be "difficult" for NASA to make a new attempt to launch its massive Moon rocket in October, an official from the US space agency said Tuesday, with a lift-off in November looking more likely. 

The SLS rocket, the most powerful ever designed by NASA, had to be returned overnight to its storage hangar in order to shelter it from the approach of Hurricane Ian. 

The next possible launch windows - determined according to the positions of the Earth and the Moon - are from October 17 to 31, then from November 12 to 27. 

Advertisement

"We know that the earliest it could go is late October, but more than likely we'll go in the window in the middle of November," NASA administrator Bill Nelson told CNN.

Advertisement

At a press conference, NASA associate administrator Jim Free was also asked about the rocket's chances of attempting a lift-off in October. 

"I don't think we're going to take anything off the table," he said. "But it is going to be difficult." 

Advertisement

After the hurricane has passed by, NASA will have to take the time to change the batteries of the rocket's self-destruct system, a complex operation that will be carried out in the storage hangar. 

Raising the 98-meter-high (320 foot) rocket and transporting it to its launch pad, before configuring it for takeoff, will also take days. 

Advertisement

The latest setback will therefore significantly postpone the launch of the long-awaited Artemis 1 mission. 

Two launch attempts had already been aborted at the last minute, at the end of August and then at the beginning of September, due to technical problems, including a leak when filling the rocket's tanks with fuel. 

Fifty years after the last mission of the Apollo program, Artemis 1 will be used to ensure that the Orion capsule, at the top of the rocket, is safe to transport a crew to the Moon in the future.


Can Moto's new premium phones take on iPhone, OnePlus, and Samsung? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: NASA

Popular Stores

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Vivo Confirms OriginOS 6 Update Schedule in India: See Release Timeline
  2. Marvel's First Family Could Arrive on OTT Platforms Soon
  3. The Conjuring: Last Rites Is Now Streaming Online: Know Where to Watch the Horror Movie
  1. Our Fault Is Streaming Now: Know All About This Gabriel Guevara and Nicole Wallace Starrer
  2. The Conjuring: Last Rites Is Now Streaming Online: Know Where to Watch the Latest Installment from the Horror Franchise
  3. Delhi Crime Season 3 OTT Release: Know When to Watch This Shefali Shah Thriller Series
  4. Vast Space to Launch Haven-1, the World’s First Private Space Station in 2026
  5. Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Soars to 424PPM, Marking Biggest Yearly Jump Ever
  6. Black Hole Tears Star Apart, Sends Out Powerful Flares Six Months Later
  7. Shakthi Thirumagan OTT Release: When, Where to Watch Vijay Antony-Starrer Action Thriller Online?
  8. Former Assassin's Creed Boss Says He Was Asked to 'Step Aside' by Ubisoft
  9. Arshad Warsi's Bhagwat Chapter 1: Raakshas OTT Release: Everything You Need to Know About This Thriller
  10. Vivo Confirms OriginOS 6 Update Rollout Schedule in India: Check Full Release Timeline
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.