NASA seems to be in full “send it” mode for the Artemis I mission - Ars Technica

On Friday afternoon, senior officials at NASA joined a teleconference to speak with reporters about the current plan to launch the Artemis I mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This will be the third attempt to get the massive Space Launch System rocket off the ground and boost the Orion spacecraft into lunar orbit for an approximately 40-day uncrewed test flight before returning to Earth.

The rocket is ready, officials said. During fueling tests and launch attempts NASA has been bedeviled by hydrogen propellant leaks, as the tiny molecule is difficult to handle and constrain at super-chilled temperatures.

This left only weather as a potential constraint to a planned launch attempt for Tuesday, September 27, at 11:37 am EST (15:37 UTC).

Bolger explained that NASA's backup plan involved rolling the rocket and spacecraft back inside the large Vehicle Assembly Building a few miles from the launchpad, where it would be protected from the elements.

NASA officials will meet again on Friday evening to consider the weather.

This is a delicate balance for NASA—waiting long enough to get the best forecast, but also leaving enough time to roll back the rocket as well as releasing employees from the space center before the worst of the storm arrives.

It became clear that NASA officials were not just waiting for forecast data, but are reluctant to roll the SLS rocket back to its hangar. John Blevins, SLS chief engineer, indicated that he would not be inclined to roll the rocket back to its hangar even if the space center were hit by a tropical storm, which has lesser winds than a hurricane but still packs a significant punch?

By waiting out the weather NASA is seeking to preserve an opportunity to launch on September 27 or October 2.

This appeared to be an admission that for NASA, the clock is ticking on a rocket that has been fully stacked for launch for nearly a year now, and which has critical parts that cannot be serviced in that configuration.