This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to the NASA website.

The agency had originally planned to launch the mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 14. However, the start was delayed for two days due to tropical storm “Nicole” hitting Florida’s Atlantic coast.

The spaceport is currently under a HURCON III hurricane warning, which means facility personnel are ensuring the safety of property and equipment and deploying an “on-site crew” to stay at the space center throughout the storm.

Now, as part of the Artemis 1 mission, the Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle carrying the Orion spacecraft to the Moon is scheduled for November 16 in a two-hour window starting at 01:04 local time. If Artemis 1 takes off that day, the mission will end with an ocean landing on December 11.

If needed, NASA has a backup launch option on Saturday, November 19, and will coordinate with the US Space Force for additional launch options.

The overall goal of NASA’s Artemis project is to return humans to the moon for the first time in half a century. Artemis I’s mission is to test the rocket, spacecraft and all its systems to ensure they are safe for astronauts.

The Space Launch System rocket is a modern analogue of the Saturn V, which brought NASA astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s.

As Ukrinform reported, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has canceled the launch of the SLS launch vehicle with a space module as part of the Artemis 1 Moon mission scheduled for August 29. The reason for this decision was a problem with one of the rocket’s four engines.

The next launch attempt was blocked by Hurricane Yan.