Just two days before Monday’s launch to the Moon, three lightning strikes hit Launch Pad 39B where the most powerful rocket in history was positioned.
Fortunately, the lightning protection towers surrounding the Artemis 1 SLS rocket took the direct hit and redirected the current away from sensitive equipment and rocket hardware as intended.
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According to NASA, Tower 2 was hit twice by lightning while Tower 1 was hit once.
By Sunday NASA assessed voltage and current data and determined the launch could proceed.
Then Monday morning as propellant began loading into the rocket, a small thunderstorm forced another delay. Rules stipulate that when tanking the probability of lightning must not exceed 20% in the first hour.
The cell passed without trouble but in the end, an engine problem forced the team to reschedule the launch until Friday at 2:48 p.m.
Artemis I was scheduled to launch on a mission today to go beyond the moon and return to Earth. The aim of NASA’s Artemis program is to return humans to the moon for the first time since 1972.
The 322-foot-tall Artemis I rocket remains parked on the launch pad. Standing taller than the Statue of Liberty it is a clear target for the dozens of expected thunderstorms through the week.
Could lighting hit again? The odds are high. One of the most substantial bolts to hit the lightning network struck in the dry season on April 2, according to NASA. The lightning masts at Launch Pads 39A and 39B are struck about five times per year.