The storm damaged NASA's SLS lunar rocket, but it survived and is ready for the Artemis I mission, which is scheduled for November 16

The chances that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch the first Artemis lunar mission this year have increased after the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket survived the Nicole storm that struck the Florida coast a few days ago.

Here's What We Know

About a week ago, NASA postponed the launch of Artemis I, scheduled for Nov. 14 because of an impending storm. A few days later, it became known that many key components and assemblies were expiring, so the rocket just might start to collapse if it didn't fly into space.

The space agency wouldn't put the rocket in a hangar, which would have meant postponing the Artemis I mission indefinitely. The SLS was able to weather the storm at the Kennedy Space Center launch pad, though the elements damaged the spacecraft slightly.

The storm caused one of the engines to lose its rain protection. Also, water flooded the launch pad, which provides access to the Orion spacecraft. NASA specialists are confident that they will be able to solve all problems by November 16. For the launch of SLS at 02:04 (EDT) or 23:04 (PDT) will be an open window of 2 hours. In case of a successful launch Orion will orbit the Moon and return to Earth on December 11, 2022.

Source: space

Image: NASA Space Flight