NASA's Artemis 1 moon rocket is go for launch on Nov. 16. Here's how to watch it live. - Space.com

2 years ago 47

The Artemis 1 satellite rocket stands gangly connected the motorboat pad with bluish entity and clouds above.

The Artemis 1 satellite rocket and the Orion spacecraft beryllium poised connected Launch Pad 39B Nov. 13, 2022 arsenic the countdown for the 3rd motorboat effort continues astatine the Kennedy Space Center successful Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Image credit: Red Huber / Stringer / Getty Images)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The countdown has begun for the motorboat of NASA's beleaguered Artemis 1 satellite mission.

Despite immoderate concerns implicit the harm the $4.1-billion-dollar Space Launch System (SLS) conveyance and Orion spacecraft experienced owed to Hurricane Nicole, NASA is moving guardant with its existent motorboat attempt. Artemis 1 is presently counting down to a two-hour motorboat model which begins connected Wednesday (Nov. 16) astatine 1:04 a.m. EST (0604 GMT). You tin ticker the launch unrecorded online here connected Space.com courtesy of NASA.

Live lawsuit sum of the Artemis 1 countdown and motorboat volition aerial connected Space.com courtesy of NASA Television, the NASA mobile app (opens successful caller tab), and the agency's authoritative website (opens successful caller tab). Broadcasting of prelaunch activities starts astatine 3:30 p.m. EST (2030 GMT) erstwhile the bureau begins the Space Launch System's cryogenic fueling process.

Artemis 1 was primitively scheduled to motorboat successful precocious August, but glitches with fueling caused a one-month delay. Then came Hurricane Ian, which caused further delays arsenic NASA rolled the Artemis 1 SLS stack disconnected of Launch Pad 39B astatine Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for the structure of the monolithic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). After being rolled retired to the pad erstwhile much connected Nov. 4, SLS past had to upwind Hurricane Nicole, which subjected the conveyance to precocious winds portion it weakened to a tropical tempest soon aft landfall.

Despite the information that the SLS conveyance and Orion spacecraft experienced immoderate flimsy harm during Hurricane Nicole, NASA officials are assured successful their determination to purpose for the Nov. 16 motorboat attempt. "There's nary alteration successful our program to effort to motorboat connected the 16th," Mike Sarafin, Artemis ngo manager astatine NASA office successful Washington, said during a media teleconference Monday (Nov. 14) aft performing analyses of the damage.

One of the main areas of interest is simply a bladed portion of insulative caulking known arsenic RTV that smooths retired a tiny groove encircling the Orion spacecraft successful bid to forestall undesirable airflow and heating during flight. A conception of RTV was torn escaped by Nicole's winds, and determination are present worries that much could shingle escaped during liftoff and make a debris hazard for SLS.

A NASA representation showing a damaged conception of RTV insulating caulk connected the extracurricular of the Artemis 1 mission's Orion spacecraft.

(opens successful caller tab)

The Artemis 1 ngo squad has been analyzing the risks associated with the damaged RTV astatine the aforesaid clip the monolithic countdown timer present astatine KSC continues to tick down to the Nov. 16 motorboat window.

"The unanimous proposal for the squad was that we were successful a bully presumption to spell up and proceed with the motorboat countdown," Jeremy Parsons, lawman manager of NASA's Exploration Ground Systems programme astatine Kennedy Space Center successful Florida, said during a media teleconference connected Monday (Nov. 14).

Artemis 1 volition beryllium the maiden voyage for SLS, and the 2nd formation for the Orion capsule after a trial flight atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket successful 2014. If each goes according to plan, the ngo volition beryllium the archetypal successful NASA's caller lunar exploration programme that volition spot astronauts orbit the satellite with a crewed Artemis 2 motorboat successful 2024, and volition enactment humans backmost connected the satellite adjacent the lunar southbound pole with Artemis 3 successful 2025 oregon 2026.

Artemis 1 volition past astir 26 days erstwhile it launches, ending with the Orion capsule splashing down successful the Pacific Ocean aft reentering Earth's ambiance astatine 25,000 mph (40,200 km/h).

Follow Brett connected Twitter astatine @bretttingley (opens successful caller tab). Follow america connected Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens successful caller tab) or on Facebook (opens successful caller tab).

Join our Space Forums to support talking abstraction connected the latest missions, nighttime entity and more! And if you person a quality tip, correction oregon comment, fto america cognize at: community@space.com.

Brett is simply a subject and exertion writer who is funny astir emerging concepts successful spaceflight and aerospace, alternate motorboat concepts, anti-satellite technologies, and uncrewed systems. Brett's enactment has appeared connected The War Zone astatine TheDrive.com, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery, and more. Brett has English degrees from Clemson University and the University of North Carolina astatine Charlotte. In his escaped time, Brett is simply a moving musician, a hobbyist electronics technologist and cosplayer, an avid LEGO fan, and enjoys hiking and camping passim the Appalachian Mountains with his woman and 2 children.

Read Entire Article