NASA Moon launch LIVE: Artemis take-off may be DELAYED after crack found in rocket

Artemis I has a two-hour window in which to blast off from Cape Canaveral, during which the orbits of Earth and the Moon are suitably lined up.

In the event that lift-off proved impossible today, two other launch windows exist on September 2 and September 5.

The SLS has already survived one threat to lift-off today — with a series of five lightning bolts having struck the launch pad’s lightning-protection towers yesterday.

NASA officials reported that neither the SLS rocket, the Orion capsule, nor ground equipment at the space centre suffered any damage as a result of the weather.

NASA senior test director Jeff Spaulding said: “Clearly, the system worked as designed.”

Meteorologists have predicted an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather for launch today.

Much of this morning’s activity at Pad 39B is devoted to loading the fuel needed to escape the Earth’s atmosphere onboard the SLS rocket.

“Tanking” — as this process is known — began shortly around 12:30am, local time, and will take eight hours to complete.

Fifteen minutes prior to the launch time, the flight director will ask for a “go” for launch.