NASA targeting Nov. 14 for next launch attempt of Artemis I
NASA is targeting Nov. 14 for the next launch attempt of the Artemis I moon mission.
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.
WHAT IS NASA'S ARTEMIS 1 MISSION GOING TO DO?
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.
The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft sits on launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center ahead of a second launch attempt on Sept. 3, 2022. (Image: NASA)
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NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center launchpad 39B on Sept. 21, 2022 during a fueling test. (Image: NASA)
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NASA's SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft begin entering the Vehicle Assembly Building on Sept. 27, 2022 ahead of Hurricane Ian. (Image: NASA)
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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, as the Artemis I launch teams load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants including liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as the launch countdown progresses at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)
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NASA's SLS and Orion spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the Aug. 29, 2022 launch. (Image: NASA)
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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise atop the mobile launcher as it arrives at Launch Pad 39B, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29. (Image: NASA)
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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise atop the mobile launcher as it arrives at Launch Pad 39B, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
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Spectators watch as NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft make the journey to Kennedy Space Center launchpad 39B on Aug. 16, 2022. (Image: Brandy Campbell/FOX Weather)
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Andrew McCarthy's image of the moon hangs on the banner underneath of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft atop the mobile launcher at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 18, 2022. (Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)
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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.
ARTEMIS-1 MOON ROCKET FUELING TEST COMPLETE AFTER NASA ENGINEERS OVERCOME HYDROGEN LEAK
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.