Los Angeles: Faced with threatening weather from Hurricane Ian, NASA decided to delay its moon rocket launch mission and haul its Artemis I Space Launch System rocket off its launch pad.
NASA will roll the Artemis I Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft back to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Monday, according to the agency.
The launch team met Monday morning and made the decision based on the latest weather predictions associated with Hurricane Ian, after additional data gathered overnight did not show improving expected conditions for the Kennedy Space Center area, according to NASA.
NASA previously preserved an opportunity for a launch attempt on October 2.
The Artemis I flight test is an uncrewed mission around the Moon that will pave the way for a crewed flight test and future human lunar exploration as part of NASA’s Artemis lunar program.
NASA scrubbed its first launch attempt of the Artemis I lunar mission on August 29 due to an issue with an engine bleed, and called off its second launch attempt on September 3 due to a leak issue.
