The winds began to pick up at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as Nicole Hurricane made its way towards the state.
The SLS moon rocket is currently sitting on the launch pad, fully exposed to the elements, waiting for its November 14 launch attempt.
Engineers are inspecting the rocket to make sure it survived the storm and is ready for use.
The National Weather Service predicted strong gusts of wind at the site.
Ars Technica reports that the National Hurricane Center predicted a 15 percent chance of hurricanes at the launch site.
According to documentation, the rocket is only designed to tolerate gusts of up to 74.4 knots.
Is there a safety margin greater than 74.4 knots? Eric Berger is a writer. Rockets are not designed to be battered like this.
According to weather sensors on Launch Complex-39B, the Artemis I stack saw wind gusts as high as 87 knots on the 120-foot level last night. The rocket is designed to withstand 74.4-knot gusts. pic.twitter.com/pkBuwFB6TH
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) November 10, 2022
Engineers are inspecting the rocket to see if the winds have left a mark.
If the rocket is exposed to excessive winds, the effort that will ensue to redo the structural analysis and convince everyone to sign the waiver to let it fly, is what I am imagining. NASA structural engineers are going to be busy over the next few weeks.
The SLS roll out was a big gamble. It would have taken days for NASA to get its massive rocket back in to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it spent the last couple of months after several failed launches.
It's not clear where next week's launch attempt will leave us. NASA has until Sunday evening to make a decision.
Billions of dollars were exposed to the elements, which is frightening for NASA. We can't do anything about it holding up.
The Artemis I rocket is exposed to winds above design limits.
NASA watches nervously as a storm threatens to expose a moon rocket.
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