NASA’s Artemis I Moon rocket endured fierce winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Nicole on Thursday, days ahead of the expected launch of the spacecraft. Sustained winds of 136.8kmph tested the design limits of the 32-story-tall rocket and posing added risks to a spacecraft already beset by technical glitches. The Artemis I Moon rocket sustained minor damage after facing the hurricane on Thursday.
NASA’s new $4 billion (roughly Rs. 32,280 crore) moon rocket endured fierce winds and heavy rains early Thursday as it rode out Hurricane Nicole on its Florida launchpad, apparently with only minor damage, according to an early NASA inspection in the storm’s aftermath.
Sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (136.8km per hour) were measured by launch-site sensors hundreds of feet above the ground, with gusts topping 100 mph, testing the design limits of the 32-story-tall rocket and posing added risks to a spacecraft already beset by technical glitches that have delayed its debut launch.
NASA’s wind sensor readings are made available to the public by the US National Weather Service online. The rocket is designed to withstand exposure on the launchpad to winds of up 85mph, US space agency officials said before the storm.
In a brief message posted on Twitter by NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free, the agency acknowledged wind sensor readings from 60 feet high of gusts peaking at 82mph.
