Artemis I launch postponed due to hurricane Ian: NASA

NASA postponed the launch of Artemis I, its first unmanned moon-orbiting mission, as hurricane Ian approaches Florida. NASA said in a tweet that the spacecraft, which was set for launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, was moved back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for safety on Monday, September 26. 

The Artemis I launch has been postponed twice already, first in August and then again in September. Although the next launch date has not been announced, reports say that it will not be before November.

Also read: NASA declares DART Mission successful

 “Managers met Monday morning and made the decision based on the latest weather predictions associated with Hurricane Ian,” NASA said in a blog post, adding, “after additional data gathered overnight did not show improving expected conditions for the Kennedy Space Center area.”

NASA was closely monitoring the weather at the Space Center area and announced that it is preparing a rollback on Sunday. The statement had said that the managers will “meet again Monday to allow for additional data gathering overnight before making the decision on roll back.”

With the hurricane on Florida impending, NASA said that the postponement will give employees time to address their family’s needs amidst an approaching natural disaster. The National Hurricane Center has warned that hurricane Ian could bring “life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-force winds, and heavy rainfall” and a state of emergency has been declared on Florida by both President Joe Biden and Governor Ron DeSantis. 

Also read: Artemis I launch: All you need to know

The Artemis I will launch the uncrewed Orion spacecraft which will orbit the moon. It is a test mission to see if it is possible to take humans to the moon and back on uncrewed vehicles, and its success could lay the foundation for deep space tourism.