The SLS is an advanced, heavy-lift rocket that will provide an entirely new capability for science and human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit. Credit: NASA
NASA is now targeting Monday, November 14, for the next launch attempt of the Artemis I mission. The 69-minute launch window will open at 12:07 a.m. EST for liftoff of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft. Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test to launch SLS and send Orion around the Moon and back to Earth to thoroughly test its system before flying with astronauts onboard.
Inspections and analyses over the previous week have confirmed minimal work is required to prepare the rocket and spacecraft to roll out to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the roll-back due to Hurricane Ian. Teams of engineers and technicians will perform standard maintenance to repair minor damage to the foam and cork on the thermal protection system. They will also recharge or replace batteries on the rocket, several secondary payloads, and the flight termination system. The agency plans to roll the rocket back to the launch pad as early as Friday, November 4.
NASA has requested backup launch opportunities for Wednesday, November 16, at 1:04 a.m. and Saturday, November 19, at 1:45 a.m. Both of these feature two-hour launch windows. A launch on November 14 would result in a mission duration of about 25-and-a-half days with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, December 9.
