Again, everything seems to indicate that Artemis 1 will not have its launch. This time, a hurricane could slow it down
NASA’s Artemis suite of space missions appears to be off to a good start. It is important to note that this is one of the most important strategic plans formulated by the US public body. This is so due, mainly, to the fact that the last stage of it aims to return to the Moon. Nevertheless, a series of launch programs must be carried out beforeamong which is the Artemis I, the protagonist of these days.
Following a failure of one of the engines, a first launch was postponed. Since then, the ship and the corresponding rocket are still present in the propulsion station. These delays are taking place at a key time. Now, will we have to postpone the launch again? The truth is yes. On this occasion, after failures in one of the blocks and the subsequent leakage of liquids, it seems that inclement weather will make it impossible that this takes place on the new scheduled date.
These kinds of mishaps make Artemis did not get off to a good start when it comes to the space race. The event was going to take place next Tuesday, but a tropical storm turned into a grade 3 hurricane could end up throwing back the launch plans. What is known at the moment and to what extent this may have an impact on the rest of the stages of the Artemis mission?
Artemis I could delay its launch again
Bugs in Artemis I prevented the release from happening recently. Now, it’s a question of the storm that is expected to shake Florida this week. It would be the third time that it is not possible to carry out the same. Now, why should a structure weighing a lot of tons fear a category 3 hurricane? The destabilization that the wind could generate would affect the trajectory of the rocket, and could cause an accident of incredible dimensions.
According to information from La Vanguardia, an element with these characteristics It is capable of resisting winds of up to 137 km/h.. This would allow the launch to take place in the presence of gusts of wind. The problem is that in a hurricane of these characteristics, gusts of up to 180 km/h can be recorded.
And well, when could be the next date to take into account? Apparently the next launch window could reflect October 17 as possible next attempt. At the close of the edition there is no confirmation on the annulment or not of this fact. Even so, in the worst case, it would only take a few weeks. Similarly, it is important to bear in mind that these delays are not expected to have a major impact on the rest of the launches planned for the coming years, that is, those corresponding to Artemis II and Artemis III.
Be that as it may, we are faced one of NASA’s most important missions in recent years. For this reason, you want to have everything tied up and well tied up to avoid any possible accident that forces you to delay the entire strategic plan thought up by NASA.