Artemis II live updates: Nasa engineers evaluating battery issue within hour of launch window

Follow latest updates as four astronauts scheduled to set off at 6.24pm ET on a 10-day, 685,000-mile journey with millions watchingCrowds gather for glimpse of historic Nasa moon missionThere’s potentially alarming news from AccuWeather about a solar flare, which the forecasting service says could affect the Artemis mission.While not an official Nasa source for weather and climate information or predictions, AccuWeather has been monitoring launch day conditions, and is reporting them on its own blog.An X1.5 solar flare that occurred early on March 30 produced an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection that is now entering into the Earth’s atmosphere. As the day progresses, moderate to strong geomagnetic storm conditions are possible as a result of the coronal mass ejection impacting Earth’s atmosphere.Communication between ground control and members aboard the rocket, and precise GPS tracking, can be at risk during strong geomagnetic storming. Continue reading...