Artemis I managers convened Monday afternoon to review the status of countdown operations as well as two open technical items, and gave a “go” to proceed toward launch Wednesday, Nov 16. The two-hour window for launch opens at 1:04 a.m. EST.


Engineers examined detailed analysis of caulk on a seam between an ogive on Orion’s launch abort system and the crew module adapter and potential risks if it were to detach during launch. The mission management team determined there is a low likelihood that if additional material tears off it would pose a critical risk to the flight.


Technicians also completed replacing a component of an electrical connector on the hydrogen tail service mast umbilical. While swapping the component did not fully fix the issue, engineers have redundant sources of information supplied through the connector.


The countdown, which began Monday at 1:54 a.m., is progressing smoothly. All elements of the rocket and spacecraft are powered up. Overnight, teams will charge flight batteries, conduct final walkdowns at the launch pad, and check out communications with Orion.


The following milestones remaining in the countdown are below. Live coverage of tanking operations with commentary on NASA TV will begin on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 3:30 p.m. Full launch coverage in English will begin at 10:30 p.m. Click here for the latest information on launch briefings and events.

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