Due To Hurricane Ian, NASA Delays The Launch Of Artemis I Until The End Of November

Artemis I canceled its launch this October. (photo: twitter @nasa)

JAKARTA – After repeated failures, the long-awaited launch of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is now confirmed to be postponed until mid-November. NASA itself has canceled plans for a September 27 launch after the appearance of Hurricane Ian in America.

NASA announced on Friday, September 30 that it aims to launch Artemis I between November 12 and November 27.

While there was initially little chance that NASA's next launch attempt could occur in October, it was ultimately canceled after NASA decided to return the rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to protect it from the storm. NASA managed to secure the rocket on Tuesday, September 27 after an hour-long journey to the VAB.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, but weakened to a tropical storm by the time it reached the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, September 29. NASA said "there was no damage to Artemis' flight hardware from the storm, and that the facility suffered only a "minor water intrusion."

NASA's Artemis I launch will send the unmanned Orion capsule on a journey around the Moon, paving the way for future missions that will bring the first women and people of color to the lunar surface.

The agency's first launch attempt stalled after the rocket suffered engine problems, while the second was damaged by a "big" leak that occurred when engineers filled the rocket with cold liquid hydrogen fuel.

Subsequent testing of the rocket fuel system showed that the leak was still present, but at a more "manageable" level. Now the rocket is back in the VAB, while NASA said it would be "preparing for additional inspections" and retesting the Flight Termination System, which the Space Force uses to destroy rockets if they go off course.