The Kennedy Space Center, situated on Florida’s East Coast, has initiated a lockdown in preparation for the approaching Hurricane Milton, as confirmed by NASA on Wednesday.
NASA announced that Kennedy has entered HURCON I status in anticipation of Hurricane Milton's arrival. The center is now closed to all personnel except for essential emergency response staff and members of the Ride Out Team.
HURCON, short for Hurricane Condition, is a scale utilized by NASA and the US Armed Forces to signify the level of readiness for an emergency as a hurricane approaches. The space agency follows a series of stages as a storm approaches: HURCON 3, which is declared when damaging winds could occur within 48 hours; HURCON 2, indicating damaging winds are possible within 24 hours; and HURCON I, which is activated 12 hours before the storm's expected impact.
Ride Out Teams consist of NASA personnel who are required to remain on the space agency's premises to support critical ongoing missions, including mission control for the International Space Station.
