Final preparations on for NASA's Artemis-1 Moon rocket

NASA is carrying out final preparations to launch its Moon mission rocket Artemis 1. After two failed attempts, the space agency is prepping to launch the rocket onWednesday (November 16). The launch has been cancelled two times before this. The new date for the launch has been decided less than a week after massive rocket withstood a hurricane.

"Our time is coming. And we hope that that is on Wednesday," said Mike Sarafin, the manager of the much-delayed Artemis 1 mission, at NASA headquarters.

Artemis 1 mission is a test flight without astronauts. The mission represents space agency's first step in establishing lasting human presence on the Moon. The next aim would be to prepare future voyage to Mars.

Named after the sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, the new space program comes 50 years after humans last set foot on lunar soil.
The first launch of the Space Launch System rocket, the most powerful ever designed by NASA, is set for Wednesday at 1:04 am local time (0604 GMT), with a possible launch window of two hours.

Countdown for the launch has begun already at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch is slated to take place on Wednesday at 1:04 am local time (0604 GMT).

For now, officials are evaluating the risk associated with hurricane damage to a thin strip of caulk-like material called RTV, which encircles the Orion crew capsule atop the rocket, and makes it more aerodynamic.

Teams are looking at whether the RTV could shake loose during launch and pose problems.

Two backup dates are possible if needed, on November 19 and 25.

(With inputs from agencies)

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