NASA targets Nov. 14 for third Artemis 1 launch attempt from Florida

The upcoming launch at 12:07 a.m. will mark the third attempt by the space agency to launch the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the first time without crew on a test flight around the moon and back.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – NASA officials announced they are targeting an overnight launch on Nov. 14 of the Artemis 1 moon rocket.

The upcoming launch at 12:07 a.m. will mark the third attempt by the space agency to launch the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the first time without crew on a test flight around the moon and back.

Two previous attempts – one in late August and the other in September – ended in launch scrubs due to technical issues with fueling the 322-foot-tall rocket with super-cold liquid hydrogen, which commonly leaks. 

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After a tanking test in September, NASA was hoping to try again before the end of the month, but Hurricane Ian spoiled those plans, and the SLS was rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building hangar for safety. 

Ahead of the next launch attempt, NASA said teams will repair minor damage to the foam and cork on the SLS "thermal protection system and recharge or replace batteries on the rocket, several secondary payloads, and the flight termination system." If all that gets done in time, the SLS and Orion will make the final trek to Kennedy Space Center launchpad 39B on Nov. 4.

NASA is also bookmarking Nov. 16 and Nov. 19 as backup launch opportunities. The Nov. 14 launch window is only 69 minutes long, whereas the backup dates are 2 hours, which would provide more flexibility for troubleshooting any issues that pop up during the countdown. 

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If the SLS launches Orion on Nov. 14, Orion's mission orbiting the moon will last a little over 25 days in orbit and end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 9.

The Artemis 1 test flight is a critical step toward NASA's goal of returning humans to the moon by 2025. If this first launch goes well, the Artemis 2 flight will carry astronauts around the moon.

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