NASA Artemis program of lunar missions has been forced to delay its inaugural spaceflight due to Hurricane Ian.

This is the third delay that the Artemis has had and was due to launch on September 27, but with the hurricane barreling towards the Florida launchpad.

NASA has now decided to roll the rocket back to Vehcile Assembly Building for safety.

The Space Launch System

The Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle is programmed to send astronauts and their equipment back to the Moon after 50 years.

It’s not yet clear when the new launch attempt will take place, but it is likely to be several weeks.

When will NASA Artemis launch?

The team has not yet committed to a date for a new attempt, although a backup window once planned for October 2 now looks all but doomed.

If the SLS will have to be shielded, it will miss the current launch window, which ends on 4 October.

The next launch will be dependent on the position of the Earth and the moon.

This delay is a major setback for NASA’s ambitious Artemis program, which aims to put humans back on the moon by 2024.

Safety of Astronauts

But NASA says the safety of the astronauts and mission team is always the organisation’s top priority.

Florida is predicting heavy rainfall for the next few days.