Watch: Lightning strikes near Artemis I Moon rocket at launch pad; NASA assessing damage

Three lightning strikes were reported by NASA on August 27 next to its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket ahead of its targeted launch to the Moon at 6:03 pm IST on August 29 under Artemis I. According to the agency, one bolt of lightning struck the Tower 1 of the Lightning Protection System (LPS) at Launch Pad 39b of the Kennedy Space Center whereas two bolts struck Tower 2.

The LPS consists of three towers measuring 600 feet each which are positioned to protect the rocket, spacecraft, and mobile launcher. These towers also have catenary wires that run to the ground almost diagonally and steer the lightning current away from the launch systems. 

These lightning strikes resulted from the thunderstorms that took over the launch site in Florida, leaving around a 70% chance of favourable weather on August 29, according to officials of the US Space Force. 

How severe were the strikes?

NASA, in a recent update, said that the strikes were of low magnitude and that its weather team has started an assessment that includes collecting voltage and current data, as well as imagery. "The data will be shared with a team of experts on electromagnetic environment efforts who will determine if any constraints on vehicle or ground systems were violated", NASA said in a statement. "Engineers will conduct a walk down at the pad tonight, and if needed, conduct additional assessments with subsystems experts," it added. 

Notably, this is not the first time the LPS has saved the SLS rocket from lightning strikes. In early June this year, NASA revealed that the towers at the Kennedy Space Center recorded the most powerful lightning strike ever. "After more than 30 milliseconds, we still had almost 3,000 amps flowing through the ground. This particular event falls into that tiny percentage – less than 1 per cent – that you just don’t expect to happen," Carlos Mata, who designed the LPS for NASA said at the time. 

As for Artemis I, the mission could be carried out on backup dates of September 2 and September 6. If the mission launches successfully on August 29, it would last 42 days whereas the latter dates would see Artemis I last for 39 days and 42 days, respectively.