NASA sets new launch date for Artemis rocket next month

NASA will try for the third time to launch the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on Nov. 14 after facing setbacks with two previous attempts and a postponement caused by Hurricane Ian.

The launch will take place on a Monday next month at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a 69-minute launch window opening at 12:07 a.m., NASA said in a news release.

Backup days will be available on Nov. 16 at 1:04 a.m. and Nov. 19 at 1:45 a.m., both with a two-hour launch window.

NASA’s Artemis I mission is the first major test for the space agency’s program, which aims to send astronauts back to the moon for the first time in about 50 years.

In Artemis I, the SLS will rocket off into space and send the unmanned exploration spacecraft Orion more than 40,000 miles past the moon before it circles back to Earth.

If the test goes well, the second test launch, called Artemis II, will include a crewed flight, with astronauts taking a ride on Orion for an estimated 10 days in space.

Artemis III will finally take astronauts to the moon’s south pole. NASA has a goal of sending the first woman and first person of color to set foot on the moon by 2025.

NASA first tried to launch the SLS in late August but failed after one of the engines did not condition to the correct temperature. In another test last month, NASA could not resolve an issue with a hydrogen leak.

The SLS was rolled back into a vehicle assembly building in late September as Hurricane Ian headed toward Florida.

NASA plans to roll the SLS back onto the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 4 after performing standard maintenance and repairing minor damage to the rocket.