NASA Cancels Artemis Moon Launch Attempt as Storm Threatens Florida

The National Hurricane Center on Saturday said Tropical Storm Ian is expected to strengthen, with hurricane conditions possible in the Cayman Islands early Monday. Heavy rains associated with the storm could begin in south Florida as early as Monday.

The space agency said it decided to forgo the potential launch Tuesday so engineers could focus on potentially rolling back the Space Launch System rocket with its Orion spacecraft on top to a storage building instead of preparing the vehicles for liftoff.

The agency said it is working to balance the need to protect employees by completing the potential rollback in a safe manner while preserving the possibility it could attempt another launch relatively soon should weather conditions improve.

The agency said previously it has Oct. 2 approved as another potential launch date. A spokeswoman declined to comment about when NASA could determine the next date for a launch attempt.

Agency engineers haven’t decided whether to roll the rocket back to a storage facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida from the launchpad where the towering vehicle stands, NASA said. That decision is expected Sunday.

NASA wants to use the SLS rocket and Orion ship for an uncrewed mission called Artemis I that would test the vehicles. The agency would use those vehicles to set up a moon landing in a few years.

Write to Micah Maidenberg at [email protected]