NASA is pressing ahead with its Artemis I mission, putting some recent setbacks behind it to today schedule another launch attempt. The rocket and spacecraft are pretty much ready to roll, according to the agency, and will be returned to the pad in early November ahead of lift-off later that month.
The Artemis I mission was originally scheduled to launch in late August, with the Space Launch System (SLS) to send the Orion capsule into space and an orbit around the Moon. The uncrewed mission is designed to test out the spacecraft’s systems for deep space travel and lay the groundwork for crewed missions to follow.
That initial launch attempt was scrubbed due to engine trouble, with a second attempt ruined by a hydrogen leak in early September. Preparations were underway for another launch attempt before Hurricane Ian swept in from the Caribbean Sea, prompting NASA to return the SLS and Orion to the Vehicle Assembly Building for safekeeping.
NASA has spent the past week inspecting the rocket and capsule and says minimal work is required to ready everything for lift-off once again. Both will be rolled out to the pad at Kennedy Space Center on November 4, with a 69-minute launch window to open just after midnight on November 14.
If successful, this launch would kick off a mission lasting 25 and a half days, concluding with a splashdown of the Orion capsule in the Pacific Ocean on December 9.
Source: NASA