Update from KSC: SLS will remain at the pad through Nicole.

"Managers have determined the SLS rocket and Orion will remain at pad 39B. KSC teams will continue to monitor weather, make sure personnel are safe, and evaluate the status of the Nov. 14 launch attempt for Artemis I."

#SLS #NASA #Hurricane #Rocket #Artemis

@PhotonEmpress I can't see this ending well. Sure, rolling it back is time-consuming, but with SLS basically rocket cobbled-together with spare parts and having had two scrubbed attempts, it only seems prudent to be extra careful.

That being said, with limited launch windows, maybe NASA's worried they'll miss November entirely?

That being said, a moon rocket with such limited launch windows should tell us much of what we need to know. It's a damned shame.

@ovid What determines the launch windows? I thought it was primarily orbital mechanics. Ground Service / propulsion as secondary issues. I get the impression from your post GSE/ hardware more limit the window than the delta V to hit the targets. I'm an armchair enthusiast only, not my wheelhouse.

@Romaq Artemis 1 theoretically has launch windows 2 out of 4 weeks. However, the Orion capsule is underpowered and can't be in an enclipse more than 90 minutes, so there are "cut outs" in the windows. The Flight Termination System (FTS) certification is only for 20 days. If that lapses, NASA has to beg for more time or roll back to the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building), missing flight windows for probably another month.

Plenty of other problems, too 😢

@ovid Thank you. I understood about FTS limitations, batteries drain over time and can only be replaced in the VAB. Wear & tear on the crawler-transporter is an issue that can't be fixed while on "standby" to move the rocket. The eclipse cut-outs I didn't think about. What a mess! If there is a conspiracy to fake all this, as flerthers say, NASA is going about this entirely *wrong*. ;-)