Members of the mission team rolled the Artemis 1 stack from Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Launch Pad 39B to the facility's massive Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to shelter the valuable equipment from Hurricane Ian, which is expected to pound Florida's Space Coast.

However, shortly after arriving at the VAB, a small fire broke out within the facility.

"Employees were evacuated, and there are no reported injuries. The VAB is fire safe, and the Artemis 1 vehicle was not at risk," KSC officials said via Twitter on Sept. 27.

The small fire, according to KSC Director Janet Petro, was sparked by a 40-volt electrical panel that caught fire on the High Bay 3's wall. She emphasized that the flames never came close to Artemis 1 and that the official cause is unknown and being investigated.

While Artemis 1 is waiting out the storm in the VAB, the mission team will work on the Artemis 1 stack. It's too early to make predictions regarding a new target launch date, but a launch before November now seems doubtful.

An unmanned Orion capsule will be sent to the moon by Artemis 1 using a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The fear of Hurricane Ian prevented NASA from launching the mission today, which was their original intention.

Artemis 1 will be the first SLS launch and the inaugural mission of NASA's Artemis program. If all goes as planned, Artemis 2 will send astronauts around the moon in 2024, and Artemis 3 will land near the lunar south pole a year or so later.

The first impacts of the storm hit Southern Florida Tuesday evening, with rain and strong winds lashing the region and tornado warnings that will persist overnight. Mayor Michael Udine said on Twitter that an apparent tornado at North Perry Airport in Broward County caused "significant damage" to multiple aircraft and hangars.

The Category 3 storm's center was about 180 miles south-southwest of Punta Gorda on Tuesday night, not far from where it is anticipated to make landfall in less than 24 hours. It was churning 120 mph gusts. City officials there said Tuesday night that until the storm passes and it is safe to start responding calls, emergency services, including police and fire response, will be suspended.

More than 1.75 million Floridians were required to evacuate as of Tuesday afternoon, out of the 2.5 million people who were under some sort of evacuation order. The majority were in Fort Myers' Lee County.

State authorities were also helping in the preparation and protection of senior citizens, making on-site visits to nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the storm's path.