They don't call it rocket science for no reason. Even so, that didn't make watching back-to-back scrubs of NASA's Artemis I mission to circumnavigate the Lunar Orbit any less disappointing.
With technical problems and weather-related snafus that affected a heck of a lot more than just space launches, Artemis I is setting up to try once again on November 14th, just after midnight, when a roughly 70-minute launch window opens. Let's take a look back at the wild and still not-yet-over story of Artemis I and its accompanying SLS booster rocket.
All seemed set for greatness on August 29th of this year. The day NASA picked out for the historic first launch of not just the Artemis program but also the multi-billion dollar, 320-plus foot tall SLS booster rocket using a plethora of upgraded Space Shuttle technology. But in fairly rapid succession, a series of mechanical problems related to temperature sensors in one of the main engines, followed by an issue with cryogenic hydrogen fueling on September 3rd, turned out to be a buzz kill, for lack of better words.
Another launch date was set soon afterward and announced for September 27th. But as we all know very well by now, mother nature had profoundly different plans for that weekend than anything NASA was hoping for. As Hurricane Ian prepared to batter the state of Florida with its biggest storm in centuries, NASA retreated the SLS rocket, Orion Crew Capsule, and European Service Module back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).
Ever since, NASA personnel have been tirelessly tweaking, testing, and modifying flight hardware however necessary to give the first SLS rocket the best chance of successfully launching Artemis I into space this time around. But even if everything is mechanically perfect, it'll ultimately be up to the U.S. Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron to give NASA the all-clear to launch this coming November 14th. In the relatively mild Florida late-fall climate, tropical storms shouldn't be quite so much of an issue.
All seemed set for greatness on August 29th of this year. The day NASA picked out for the historic first launch of not just the Artemis program but also the multi-billion dollar, 320-plus foot tall SLS booster rocket using a plethora of upgraded Space Shuttle technology. But in fairly rapid succession, a series of mechanical problems related to temperature sensors in one of the main engines, followed by an issue with cryogenic hydrogen fueling on September 3rd, turned out to be a buzz kill, for lack of better words.
Another launch date was set soon afterward and announced for September 27th. But as we all know very well by now, mother nature had profoundly different plans for that weekend than anything NASA was hoping for. As Hurricane Ian prepared to batter the state of Florida with its biggest storm in centuries, NASA retreated the SLS rocket, Orion Crew Capsule, and European Service Module back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).
Ever since, NASA personnel have been tirelessly tweaking, testing, and modifying flight hardware however necessary to give the first SLS rocket the best chance of successfully launching Artemis I into space this time around. But even if everything is mechanically perfect, it'll ultimately be up to the U.S. Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron to give NASA the all-clear to launch this coming November 14th. In the relatively mild Florida late-fall climate, tropical storms shouldn't be quite so much of an issue.