Hurricane Ian forces Nasa’s moon rocket back into storage
- The move marks yet another setback for the thrice-delayed Artemis I mission, as the space agency seeks to protect the equipment from strong winds and heavy rain
- There is now no opportunity for blast-off within the current launch window, and Nasa has not indicated when another launch might be attempted
Nasa’s Artemis 1 rocket – waiting to blast off on a delayed mission to the moon – will be rolled back into its storage hangar Monday night, the space agency said, as Florida braces for Hurricane Ian.
The move, to protect the rocket from strong winds and heavy rain forecast for the Kennedy Space Centre, will cause further setbacks for the uncrewed moon mission, which was expected to launch last month and has already been pushed back three times.
“After reviewing the forecast for Ian, we will roll our Artemis I vehicle back to the Vehicle Assembly Building tonight,” Nasa official Jim Free tweeted. “It was the right and necessary decision to keep our people and hardware safe.”
The decision was “based on the latest weather predictions associated with Hurricane Ian, after additional data gathered overnight did not show improving expected conditions”, the space agency said in a blog.
The operation to move the 98-metre (320-foot) rocket, which is sitting on its launch pad, is set to begin around 11pm on Monday night, Nasa said.