Final preparations are underway in Florida as NASA tries for a third time to send the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on a test flight known as Artemis I.
The SLS is scheduled to launch the unpiloted Orion to the moon during a two-hour launch window Wednesday that opens at 1:04 a.m. Eastern. However, the countdown is well underway Tuesday, and fueling the 322-foot-tall rocket with more than 750,000 gallons of cryogenic fuel began Tuesday afternoon around 4 p.m. The rocket must slowly be filled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellant. Hydrogen, a tiny molecule, has created problems for NASA during the last two launch attempts.
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as preparations for launch continue, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. When it happens, the SLS will blast off using more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send Orion on its journey around the moon. About 10 small spacecraft will be deployed in orbit as secondary payloads on the spaceflight to the moon. There are also manikins inside the spacecraft wearing special vests to examine the effects of radiation on future astronaut passengers.
Forecasters with the Space Force 45th Weather Squadron are predicting an 80% chance of favorable launch conditions for liftoff. The forecast was better earlier in the day but building cloud cover caused the chances to drop slightly. Launch viewers will enjoy pleasant temperatures in the 70s with winds around 10 mph. Coastal showers will remain far enough offshore and shouldn't interfere with the launch Wednesday.
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