For the first time in a generation, NASA has a new rocket waiting for launch time. Weather is now the only thing holding back the launch of the Ares I-X rocket. NASA's first flight test of its Ares I-X booster rocket is only slated to last two minutes. Cloudy skies are holding up the test launch of NASA's newest rocket. NASA has until noon to get the experimental Ares I-X flight going.
The Ares I-X rocket came within two minutes and 39 seconds of launching Tuesday morning. But the countdown was halted when a big cloud settled right over the pad after minor problems held things up earlier.
Standing at 327 feet the Ares I-X is a towering rocket — and currently the world's tallest booster in service. Its $445 million test flight, which should last about two minutes, was to launch Tuesday at 8 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
For spectators in the area of the Kennedy Space Center on central Florida's eastern coast, the test launch should be viewable for miles around if the Ares I-X takes off. NASA is expecting thousands of spectators to flock to its Florida launching site to watch the historic show.
The bright white Ares I-X, at its core, is a giant solid rocket booster. As a prototype for the two-stage Ares I rocket, its first stage is a four-segment solid rocket motor capped with a dummy fifth segment. The second stage, Orion capsule and launch abort tower atop Ares I-X are all dummy segments, too. There is a 1-in-10,000 chance of a disastrous failure during the test, but NASA is confident it will go as planned.
NASA needs good weather to launch Ares I-X because engineers need to see the rocket flight all the way through first stage separation, which will mark the end of the test.
The launch team is now planning to come out of the current T-4 minute hold at 11:15 a.m. EDT, aiming for a liftoff at 11:19 a.m. Launch Director Ed Mango is going to poll his team to ensure the vehicle and its system are all still "go." The main issue remains the weather, and Weather Officer Kathy Winters continues to update the team on conditions at and near the launch pad.
Video: NASA Areas I-X ready to launch
Cheryl Phillips
Exclusive to HULIQ.com
source: NASA.gov
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