At a Glance

Liftoff was scrubbed due to technical issues Monday.Weather would have also impacted the launch.Spectators will need to be wary of heat and storms.

NASA will try again Saturday for a much-anticipated launch of its Artemis moon rocket.

A launch attempt earlier this week was scrubbed.

Previous backup launch windows were set for Friday and Monday. The change was announced during a Tuesday evening.

The launch window will open at 2:17 p.m. Weather is expected to be favorable for at least part of that time.

But launch controllers warned there was still a chance of technical issues. Artemis has never flown before.

Weather was only a for the Friday date, according to the , stationed at nearby Patrick Space Force Base and responsible for launch-day forecasts. A launch forecast for Saturday had not been posted as of the briefing time.

Storms are a threat regardless of which date was chosen for this weekend.

"Showers and thunderstorms are possible in each of the next two launch windows. An onshore wind regime will take shape later this week, meaning, in general, the coast should see wetter mornings than afternoons, but afternoon thunderstorms cannot be ruled out," weather.com meteorologist said.

(MORE: Weather Is Key On Launch Day)

If the launch is pushed again, could come into play. While no direct impacts are expected, a tropical disturbance will be passing between Bermuda and Hispaniola next week that could have some impact on launch planning.

For spectators, Florida's hot and humid weather will continue to be something to be prepared for, as well as the danger of lightning.

NASA's Artemis moon rocket sits on launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center on Monday Aug. 30, 2022, at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Monday's launch was due to technical problems, but weather would have come into play as well. The launch forecast had been favorable for 8:33 a.m. EDT liftoff, but rain that would have made it a no-go moved in right around that time, Artemis Mission Manager Mike Serafin said in a Monday afternoon .

Earlier, overnight storms caused a delay in refueling that also affected the countdown.

Any given launch has a one-in-three chance of being scrubbed, 45th Weather Squadron Launch Weather Officer Melody Lovin said in an email Friday, based on .

About half of scrubs are due to weather, Lovin said. The rest are due to things like the technical issues that happened Monday.

The mission of the massive rocket, known as SLS for short, is to send an unmanned into orbit around the moon in preparation for taking humans back to the lunar surface within the next couple of years and, in the future, farther into deep space.

NASA says the SLS is its most powerful rocket ever.

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