Space Force: Weather looks OK for NASA's Artemis I launch to the moon Monday

Emre Kelly, Florida Today
·3 min read
17

Space is important to us and that’s why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

---

Update (Tuesday, Aug. 30): NASA is now targeting no earlier than Saturday, Sept. 3, for the next attempt at launching SLS on Artemis I. The two-hour window opens at 2:17 p.m. EDT. Read our full preview story here.

---

Update: Scrub! No Artemis I launch today due to technical issues with the Space Launch System rocket at Kennedy Space Center. The next opportunity to fly is Friday, Sept. 2, but only if the technical issues can be resolved in time. Stay tuned at floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

---

Space Force weather forecasters are anticipating mostly favorable conditions for NASA's big show next week, marking another positive sign on the road to liftoff of the agency's first Space Launch System rocket.

If conditions hold early Monday, the 322-foot rocket and its Orion capsule destined for an uncrewed trip to the moon should face 70% "go" conditions at Kennedy Space Center. A two-hour launch window at pad 39B opens at 8:33 a.m. EDT.

"On Sunday, a pattern shift back to south-southeast flow is expected, which should decrease the coverage of showers and thunderstorms along the Space Coast," Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Friday. "This flow regime will remain in place for the opening of the initial launch window Monday morning."

The lightning threat during Monday's window will likely be low, but scattered showers could still pop up across the Atlantic along the launch path.

"As a result, the primary weather concerns for a Monday morning attempt will be the cumulus cloud rule, surface electric fields rule, and the flight through precipitation constraint," forecasters said.

The positive weather forecast is yet another sign that all is proceeding as planned toward a Monday morning liftoff. On Thursday, NASA's chief SLS engineer, John Blevins, told FLORIDA TODAY all rocket-related work had been completed.

More: NASA's huge Artemis launch: It's going to be loud, but how loud? That depends

Need to know: How to watch NASA Artemis launch live on your phone and chat live with space team on Twitter

"Today, we loaded hydrazine on the boosters and everything else is completely ready. There are no functions left for the rocket," Blevins said.

Just like other rockets that launch from Florida, such as SpaceX's Falcon 9 and United Launch Alliance's Atlas V, SLS has a custom list of weather-related constraints. Some of those, according to NASA, include:

  • Temperature: Do not launch if the temperature at both 132.5 feet of altitude and 257.5 feet exceeds 94.5 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 consecutive minutes.

  • Wind: Do not launch if the peak liftoff winds exceed a range of 29 knots through 39 knots between 132.5 feet and 457.5 feet, respectively.

  • Precipitation: Do not launch through precipitation.

  • Lightning: Do not launch for 30 minutes after lightning is observed within 10 nautical miles of the flight path unless certain criteria can be met.

  • Clouds: Do not launch if the flight path is within 3 nautical miles of a thunderstorm debris cloud for 3 hours unless certain criteria can be met.

The Space Force has not yet issued weather forecasts for SLS' backup windows available at 12:48 p.m. Sept. 2 and 5:12 p.m. Sept. 5. Those are expected next week if NASA can't fly on Monday.

SLS is the massive rocket designed by NASA to take the agency back to the moon. Monday's Artemis I mission will be an uncrewed, 42-day test flight; Artemis II, set for no earlier than 2024, will do the same with astronauts on board; then, if schedules hold, Artemis III will put two people on the surface sometime after 2025.

For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.

Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff to visit: Vice President and Second Gentleman to visit Kennedy Space Center for Artemis I launch

'Gridlock': Artemis launch spectators, five Port Canaveral cruise ships to snarl traffic Monday

Launch Monday, Aug. 29

  • Rocket: NASA's Space Launch System

  • Mission: Artemis I

  • Launch Time: 8:33 a.m. EDT

  • Launch Window: Two hours

  • Launch Pad: 39B at Kennedy Space Center

  • Trajectory: Northeast

  • Weather: 70% "go"

  • Duration: 42 days

  • Backup Launch Windows: Sept. 2 at 12:48 p.m. and Sept. 5 at 5:12 p.m. EDT

Visit floridatoday.com/space at 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 29, for real-time updates and live video

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Space Force: Weather looks OK for NASA's Artemis I launch to the moon