NASA said on Friday that it would attempt to launch its Moon mega-rocket in November without providing a specific date for the persistently delayed Artemis 1 mission.
The US space agency was planning its next launch window between November 12 and November 27 after being forced to delay its most recent liftoff attempt owing to the powerful Hurricane Ian that pounded Florida this week.
The crew will evaluate the situation and the required repairs “over the following several days,” according to a blog post by NASA, and “determine a precise date for the next launch attempt.”
As of yet, officials have not fully closed the door on a previous effort in October.
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On Tuesday, the SLS rocket—the most potent NASA creation ever—had to be brought back to its storage hangar at the Kennedy Space Center to protect it from Hurricane Ian.
According to NASA, the hurricane destroyed Florida, but the rocket wasn’t harmed.
Ahead of the next mission attempt and during the planning for the November launch window, “Kennedy staff will have time to address the needs of their families and homes following the storm.”
It will take days to raise the 98-meter-tall (320-foot) rocket, transfer it to the launch pad, and set it up for the flight.
In September and late August, NASA attempted to launch the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission, but both efforts failed due to technical difficulties.
SLS has been under development for over a decade but has never taken to the air.
Artemis is NASA’s next flagship program, fifty years after the last Apollo mission.
In the future, the Orion capsule at the top of the rocket will be tested by Artemis 1 to ensure it is secure enough to carry a crew to the Moon.