NASA's Artemis 1 launch faces another hurricane threat as storm brews in the Atlantic

NASA’s dream to launch Artemis 1 Moon mission on November 14 might get washed away again as a tropical storm is developing in the Atlantic Ocean. The mission faces a threat of a hurricane due to subtropical storm Nicole which emerged near the Bahamas and is heading toward Florida, where the Space Launch System (SLS rocket) stands.

In its latest forecast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said, "Hurricane conditions are possible across portions of the coast of the southeast and east-central Florida beginning late Wednesday, where a Hurricane watch is in effect. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the Tropical Storm Watch areas in Florida and Georgia beginning by early Wednesday".

It further said that "A dangerous storm surge is possible across much of the east coast of Florida and portions of coastal Georgia. The storm surge will be accompanied by large and damaging waves". Heavy rainfall as well as flash flooding across the Florida Peninsula is also predicted due to the approaching storm.  It is worth noting that the SLS rocket was rolled out to the launch pad on November 4 at the Kennedy Space Center which is located in eastern Florida. 

If the weather turns worse, NASA might remove the rocket from the launch pad and roll it back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), thus missing out on the November 14 attempt. Artemis 1 is currently targeted for launch during a 69-minute-long launch window that opens at 9:37 am IST. Given the rocket is rolled back, this would mark the second time the mission would be delayed due to weather, the first being due to Hurricane Ian.

SLS remains at the launch pad for now: NASA

In a recent tweet, NASA said that the Artemis 1 mission managers have decided that the SLS rocket mounted with the Orion spacecraft "will remain at Launch Pad 39B". 

"Teams at Kennedy will continue to monitor the weather, make sure all personnel are safe, and will evaluate the status of the Monday, Nov. 14, launch attempt for the Artemis I mission as we proceed and receive updated predictions about the weather", the agency said in its statement. NASA says that the Kennedy Space Center is currently "in a HURCON (Hurricane Condition) IV status" which "includes implementing checklists and preparations for the storm".