How to watch: NASA’s Artemis moon rocket on track for latest launch attempt

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Artemis moon rocket is on track to launch early Wednesday morning after months of delays due to hurricanes and fuel leaks.

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According to The Associated Press, NASA has remained on track for Wednesday’s scheduled launch of its new moon rocket, Artemis, after they had determined that damage from Hurricane Nicole had little extra risk to the test flight.

The AP said that the winds from the recent hurricane caused a 10-foot section of caulking to peel away by the crew capsule at the top of the rocket last Thursday. The mission manager, Mike Sarafin, said that the caulking tore away in small pieces instead of one strip and that they are comfortable with launching as-is, according to the AP.

Liftoff for the launch is scheduled for early Wednesday morning from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with test dummies on board, according to the AP. This is done since it’s the first test flight for the 322-foot rocket. According to the AP, this is the most powerful rocket NASA ever built that they will attempt to send into lunar orbit.

Hours before the launch, a fresh leak was detected on Artemis as NASA worked to fuel the moon rocket, according to the AP. The launch team rushed two technicians and a safety official to the pad who are known as the “red team” to try to tighten the leaky valve. Emergency rescue workers were also on standby.

According to WFTV, the launch is scheduled for 1:04 a.m. EST Wednesday morning.

The almost monthlong, $4 billion mission has been grounded since August, according to the AP. The reasons have included fuel leaks and Hurricane Ian, which forced the rocket back into the hangar at the end of September and then kept the rocket on the pad during Hurricane Nicole.

According to the AP, NASA plans to sent astronauts around the moon in 2024 and then land a crew on the lunar surface in 2025. The last time astronauts visited the moon was in December 1972, which was the end of the Apollo program.

According to NPR, a successful launch would be a milestone for NASA’s Artemis program, which is planning to send the first woman and the first person of color to land on the lunar surface.

To watch NASA’s coverage of the launch, you can watch their livestream on NASA TV.

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