NASA sticks to plan to launch Moon rocket on Wednesday

NASA said it plans to attempt its long-delayed uncrewed mission to the Moon as scheduled next Wednesday.
The Artemis 1 unmanned lunar rocket is seen at the Kennedy Space Center on September 27, 2022

WASHINGTON - NASA said it plans to attempt its long-delayed uncrewed mission to the Moon as scheduled next Wednesday after inspections revealed only minor damage from Hurricane Nicole's passage through Florida.

Jim Free, a senior official at the US space agency, told journalists there was "nothing preventing" a launch on that date, and said that NASA teams had managed to access the launch pad on Thursday.

The launch of the heavy-lift rocket, the most powerful ever built by contractors for NASA, is now due to take place at 01:04am local time on Wednesday, with a possible launch window of two hours.

READ: NASA rolls Moon rocket out to Kennedy Space Center launch pad

The uncrewed mission, dubbed Artemis 1, will bring the United States a step closer to returning astronauts to the Moon five decades after humans last walked on the lunar surface.

The rocket will propel the empty Orion crew capsule to the Moon, without landing on its surface. If the launch takes place as planned, the mission will last 25-and-a-half days before the capsule returns on December 11 with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

However, the US space agency has "some work to do" before the launch, said Free, such as powering up the vehicle and carrying out some technical tests.

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One element on the base of the rocket, which may have been damaged, may need to be replaced.

The highly anticipated launch has already been delayed three times in as many months. 

Free, who is NASA's associate administrator for exploration systems development, said two back-up launch dates have been set for November 19 and November 25, if necessary.

NASA wants to establish a lasting human presence on the Moon, including the construction of a space station in orbit around the Moon. This is seen as a step that could lead to the first trip to Mars.

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