With the Artemis 1 launch site predicted to be in the path of Hurricane Ian, NASA has decided not to risk the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.
Starting around 11 p.m. ET this evening, the agency will transport them back to the safety of the Vehicle Assembly Building. You can watch the rollback live on NASA’s Artemis 1 livestream below.
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“Managers 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,” NASA said in a statement.
“The decision allows time for employees to address the needs of their families and protect the integrated rocket and spacecraft system.”
Despite the success of an SLS fueling test last week, NASA was forced to cancel a planned September 27th launch due to the hurricane threat.
If the agency is unable to launch Artemis 1 before October 3rd (which appears unlikely at this point), it will be unable to try again until the next window opens on October 17th.
