Sep 26, 2022 - Science

Hurricane Ian forces NASA Artemis rocket rollback

Alex Fitzpatrick

NASA's Artemis I rocket sits on launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center on September 2, 2022 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. — NASA's Artemis I rocket sits on launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 2 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

NASA is rolling its Artemis 1 rocket back to the massive Vehicle Assembly Building to protect it from the incoming Hurricane Ian.

Why it matters: It's yet another delay for what would be the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule.

While this first mission will be uncrewed, NASA aims to fly astronauts back to the moon aboard SLS and Orion in the next few years.

Details: Rollback is set to begin at 11pm ET Monday.

Ian became a hurricane Monday morning and is expected to make landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast later this week.
Kennedy Space Center is on Florida's Atlantic coast, but the threat of high winds and other issues forced NASA's hand.

What they're saying: "The decision allows time for employees to address the needs of their families and protect the integrated rocket and spacecraft system," NASA said in a statement.

What's next: It's looking increasingly likely that Artemis won't launch until late October, at the earliest.

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Hurricane Ian forces NASA Artemis rocket rollback

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