Update at 2 a.m. ET: NASA successfully launched the Artemis 1 moon mission on the first Space Launch System rocket at 1:47 AM EDT (0647 GMT) in a stunning success. Read the full Artemis 1 launch story. You can also see amazing photos of the launch of Artemis 1, the first images from the Orion spacecraft and find out what’s next for Artemis 1 on its 25-day journey to the Moon.
Cape Canaveral, Fla. — The countdown to launch of NASA’s trapped Artemis 1 lunar mission has begun.
Despite some concerns about damage to the $4.1 billion Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle and Orion spacecraft caused by Hurricane Nicole, NASA is moving forward with the current launch attempt. Artemis 1 is currently counting down to a two-hour launch window that begins on Wednesday (November 16) at 1:04 AM EST (0604 GMT). You can watch the launch live online here at Space.com with permission from NASA.
Coverage of the Artemis 1 countdown and launch live event will be streamed on Space.com courtesy of NASA Television, the NASA mobile app. (Opens in a new tab)And the official website of the agency (Opens in a new tab). The broadcast of pre-lunch activities begins at 3:30 p.m. EST (2030 GMT) when the agency begins the Space Launch System cryogenic refueling 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 in late August, but refueling lapses caused a one-month delay. Then came Hurricane Ian, which caused further delays as NASA rolled the Artemis 1 SLS stack off Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to house the massive Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). after being rolled on the pillow Back on November 4, SLS had to contend with Hurricane Nicole, which The vehicle was exposed to strong winds while weakening to a tropical storm shortly after landfall.
Despite the fact that the SLS and Orion spacecraft sustained some minor damage during Hurricane Nicole, NASA officials are confident in their decision to push for a November 16 launch attempt. “There is no change in our plan for the launch attempt on the 16th,” Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said during a media conference call Monday (November 14) after performing analyzes of the damage.
One major area of concern is the thin strip of insulating dam known as RTV that smooths out a small groove surrounding the Orion spacecraft in order to prevent unwanted airflow and heating in flight. Part of the RTV was torn off by Nicol’s winds, and there are now concerns that more may shake during takeoff and create a debris hazard on the SLS.
Read more: NASA orders 3 more capsules for the Orion crew for the Artemis lunar missions
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The Artemis 1 mission team has been analyzing the risks associated with RTV damage as the massive countdown timer here at KSC continues to reach its November 16th launch window.
Jeremy Parsons, deputy director of NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, said during a teleconference Monday (November 14).
Artemis 1 will be the first flight for the SLS, and the second flight for the Orion capsule after a test flight aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket in 2014. If all goes according to plan, it will be the first mission in NASA’s new lunar exploration program that will see astronauts orbit around the moon with the crewed launch of Artemis 2 in 2024, and will return humans to the moon near the lunar south pole with Artemis 3 in 2025 or 2026.
Artemis 1 will last approximately 26 days upon launch, ending with the Orion capsule plunging into the Pacific Ocean after re-entering Earth’s atmosphere at 25,000 mph (40,200 km/h).
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