CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Nearly 50 years after the last mission to the moon, NASA is once again counting down to a lunar launch.
The Artemis I mission, an uncrewed test flight, is scheduled to blast off from Kennedy Space Center later today.The two-hour launch window opens at 2:17 p.m., but as illustrated by Monday’s scrub, a lot of things have to go right for the historic mission to get underway.First, the weather has to cooperate.
It’s been a stormy few days in Florida and lightning helped delay fueling during that first launch attempt. Forecasters expect a 60-percent chance of good weather when today’s launch window opens, improving to 80 percent by the end.Even if the weather is good, mission managers still face a lot of challenges dealing with a brand-new rocket.
Launch pad fueling tests earlier this year ran into several problems as engineers refined their countdown and launch procedures.NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as preparations for launch continue, Thursday, Sept.