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NASA secures the Artemis 1 rocket to avoid the threat of Hurricane Ian on September 26, 2022 at 11:20 pm local time. Photo / NASA
NASA begins launching the Space Launch System (SLS) stack of the Artemis 1 rocket carrying the Orion capsule, from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Pad 39B. The Artemis 1 rocket was brought into the large KSC Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to be safe from Hurricane Ian.
The journey to transfer the Artemis 1 rocket to the VAB for a distance of 6.4 kilometers, carried out aboard NASA’s Transport-2 tracked vehicle. The transfer process should take approximately 11 hours.
Read also; The hurricane predicted to fail the launch of Artemis I again
The move was made by NASA to protect Artemis 1 from the threat of Hurricane Ian if the storm hit Florida’s Atlantic coast. NASA’s Artemis 1 rocket is currently in the process of being taken to storm shelters.
This is not the first setback for the Artemis 1, with the rocket relocated from Pad 39B to the VAB in April and July after conducting refueling tests. SLS and Orion returned to the track in mid-August before a take-off attempt on 29 August.
The launch failed due to a technical error and a leak of liquid hydrogen propellant hampered a subsequent launch attempt on September 3. The Artemis 1 team had repaired the leak and started preparing for another trial scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 27, but then Hurricane Ian threatened.
Read also; The Artemis 1 rocket passes the refueling tests, the launch is scheduled for September 27th
It is still unclear whether Hurricane Ian will actually cross Florida’s Atlantic coast; the latest model predicts storms specifically across the Sunshine State Gulf side. But NASA decided on Monday morning September 26 to play it safe and put Artemis 1 in the VAB.
Artemis 1 team members say they will likely perform some maintenance work once they arrive at the VAB, including resetting the batteries for the mission flight termination system (FTS). This system is designed to destroy the SLS if it deviates from the path during launch.
The FTS battery was originally certified for just 20 days on the launch pad and that time ran out some time ago. The US Space Force, which oversees the rocket launches, has granted two certification extensions, covering the launch of Artemis 1 at least until early October.
“But it makes sense to restore the FTS battery if the vehicle remains in the VAB,” NASA officials said. It is too early to speculate on the expected launch date for the new Artemis 1; surely we will have to wait for more information from NASA.
(Spider web)
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