As hurricane Ian bore down on Florida this week, September launch for the Artemis I mission. NASA’s first attempt to return to the moon in more than 50 years has faced a series of setbacks, and the team has recently scrubbed two launch attempts after persistent trouble with fuel leaks and an engine sensor. With a price tag of roughly $93 billion for the Artemis program, the stakes are higher than ever to get the first launch off the ground.
Artemis I, which is uncrewed, will nevertheless set the tone for the Artemis mission in its entirety. While NASA has sent astronauts to the moon in the past, Artemis has even loftier ambitions, planning to do nothing short of open the gates for deep space exploration and colonization, the likes of which humans have not previously attempted. By the end of this decade, NASA intends to establish a space station in lunar orbit—the first of its kind—to facilitate frequent trips to the moon and even Mars.
Now, in the wake of Hurricane Ian, s have decided to delay the mission until the launch window beginning on Nov. 12 andSLS rocket, which cost upwards of $43 billion combined, could be better protected. A designated “ride-out” team weathered the storm at the Kennedy Space Center, monitoring conditions. Ahead of Ian’s landfall, NASA Sen. Bill Nelson tweeted, “As #HurricaneIan intensifies and folks prepare for its impact, I’m thinking of our @NASA workforce and families in Florida, especially those on the @NASAKennedy ride-out team. Thank you for your dedication. Know that NASA will do everything to ensure your safety and wellbeing.” Those teams have confirmed that there was no damage to Artemis flight hardware and only minor water intrusion at onsite facilities. Nevertheless, the trip from the pad to the VAB and back is time-consuming, risky, and requires a thorough inspection of all spacecraft and equipment.
A Mission Delayed
Delays are nothing new for the Artemis mission, which is already years behind schedule. The SLS and other equipment for Artemis were authorized in 2010 and were initially scheduled for a preliminary test flight in 2017. However, a series of obstacles, including issues with assembly facilities, design and development challenges, funding issues, a lawsuit by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, and the pandemic, has pushed the timeline further. Nevertheless, if the Artemis I mission can head for the moon in November successfully, it will be a rewarding culmination more than a decade in the making.
With this brief reprieve between launch attempts, NASA officials will spend the time leading up to the next flight window checking systems, maintaining facilities and ensuring the systems are prepared to return to the launch pad. In the meantime, NASA encourages the public to celebrate the moon mission by participating in International Observe the Moon Night on Oct. 1. Once Artemis ultimately lifts off, humankind will be one giant leap closer to celebrating on the moon.
Sources: NASA 1, Bill Nelson/Twitter, NASA 2