WASHINGTON: Due to a tropical storm that is expected to intensify as it approaches Florida, NASA has decided to postpone the scheduled launch of its historic unmanned mission to the Moon on Tuesday.NASA announced on Saturday that it was forgoing a launch opportunity and getting ready to roll back from the launch pad while continuing to monitor the Tropical Storm Ian weather forecast.Ian is expected to “rapidly strengthen” during the weekend as it travels into Florida, the state where the Kennedy Space Center is located and from which the rocket is scheduled to launch.
The Artemis 1 team will decide on Sunday whether to roll back the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building.The orange and white SLS rocket can endure wind gusts of up to 137 kilometres per hour (85 miles per hour) on the launch pad. However, the present launch window, which lasts through October 4, will be missed if it needs to be shielded.From October 17 through October 31, there will be one possible launch every day, with the exception of October 24-26 and 28.
