UPDATE
As it turns out, today was not the day and the Space Launch System remains on Earth, for now. NASA put the countdown clock on hold at T-40 minutes after a engine bleed was discovered with engine three on the core stage of the rocket.
The rocket is in a stable configuration and engineers will gather data in a bid to address the problem.
The next available launch opportunity is 2nd September but whether the engine bleed can be addressed before then is unclear at this stage.
Original story follows below.
Today is the day. After years of delays, the Space Launch System will liftoff on its journey toward the Moon. That is so long as the launch isn’t delayed by weather.
The Space Launch System, as the name implies, is capable of launching other vehicles into deep space. Or rather, that’s what NASA will be testing with the Orion space capsule. This capsule will be jettisoned in deep space, orbit the Moon and then head back to Earth.
Since early this morning NASA has been fuelling the rockets. At around 1am this morning, fuelling needed to be put on hold due to the first of lightning. That risk has since passed and core stage propellant was loaded roughly an hour after the warning was first issued.
The Orion spacecraft is a focal point of this test. Not only is it NASA’s first human-rated vehicle headed for the Moon since 1972, it’s fitted with a massive heat shield NASA needs to test. The heat shield will hit Earth’s atmosphere at roughly 40 000kmph and reach 2 800 degrees Celsius according to Space.com so NASA needs to test whether humans will survive those extremes inside the capsule.
The Orion capsule is expected to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on 10th October, provided it launches today.
Liftoff is scheduled to happen at 14:33 SAST but this could be delayed if weather is bad. Should weather ruin the fun, there are other launch windows on 2nd and 5th September.
You can watch a livestream below. While it is silent for the most part NASA provides intermittent updates alongside glamour shots of the rocket.
Here’s hoping the launch can happen today.
[Image – NASA/Ben Smegelsky]
