KEY POINTS

  • Lightning strikes hit the lightning protection system at Launch Pad 39B
  • Engineers confirmed the strikes were of "low magnitude"
  • The two-hour launch window opens at 8.33 a.m. ET Monday

The Artemis I mission is on and the countdown clock is still ticking even after three lightning strikes hit the launch pad.

The Kennedy Space Center in Florida witnessed rain and thunder just days ahead of the Artemis I launch. Three lightning strikes ended up hitting the lightning protection system towers at Launch Pad 39B – two of them struck Tower 2, while one hit Tower 1, NASA said in a blog post.

These 600-foot-tall towers were intended to lure the lightning currents away from the rocket, NASA explained. In a stunning photo shared online, one can see the rather intense weather conditions at the site.

Initial data showed the lightning strikes were of "low magnitude." In an update, NASA noted that the countdown is still on after overnight engineers evaluated the situation and confirmed the strikes were, indeed, of low impact and had "no impacts" on the Space Launch System (SLS) or Orion spacecraft.

According to the agency, showers continue to be the "primary weather concern" for the launch. But the U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 45 predicted an "80% chance of favorable conditions" at the opening of the two-hour window for the launch, which starts at 8.33 a.m. ET Monday.

Those interested can witness the historic launch on various channels, including the NASA Livestream on YouTube.

People can use the hashtag #NASAMoonSnap and post photos, songs, nail art or even recipes inspired by the Moon. "The sky is not the limit!" for this challenge, the agency said.

Artemis I is the uncrewed flight test of the SLS and Orion, which will take them past the Moon and back again. Apart from testing these important systems for future Artemis missions, its aim is to inspire the next generation of explorers.

The agency even surprised a group of young students with a special glimpse of the rocket.

"The first in an increasingly complex series of missions, Artemis I will pave the way for long-term lunar exploration, providing the foundation for extending human presence to the Moon and beyond," the agency noted.

Nasa's new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), in its Block 1 crew vehicle configuration that will send astronauts to the Moon on the Artemis missions
Nasa's new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), in its Block 1 crew vehicle configuration that will send astronauts to the Moon on the Artemis missions NASA via AFP / Handout