NASA Artemis I launch now delayed to mid-November
The world has been eagerly awaiting the launch of NASA's Artemis 1 mission. The space agency has now pushed back the take-off of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at least till mid-November. Due to Hurricane Ian, NASA had to call off its September 27 launch plans. The agency is now aiming for the launch window between November 12 and November 27.
Why does this story matter?
Hurricane Ian thwarted NASA's plans of launching the Artemis 1 mission on September 27. It, however, did not cause any damage to the SLS rocket or the Orion capsule. NASA's decision to postpone the launch to November despite having a window in October is related to the agency's desire to have everything in position before the next attempt.
NASA rolled the rocket back to VAB due to hurricane
After NASA called off the launch in September, there were still hopes of launching in October. However, once the agency decided to roll the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), those hopes died. The next launch window is from October 17 to October 31. NASA has instead preferred the launch window from November 12 to November 27.
Why does NASA prefers November over October?
NASA has several reasons for choosing November over October for the mission's launch. It said that a launch in November will allow employees at the Kennedy Space Center to address the needs of their families after the hurricane. It will also give workers enough time to perform maintenance on the vehicles. An October launch would give technicians very less time.
Most launch opportunities in November are at night
Although there are certain perks of launching the rocket in November instead of October, there are some issues as well. Most of the individual launch opportunities in November are at night. NASA, however, prefers a launch during daylight. Jim Free, NASA's associate administrator for exploration systems development did not rule out a nighttime launch. Such a decision will be based on a cost-benefit analysis.
