SHOCKING video captures the extraordinary moment lightning damaged NASA’s new mega-rocket launch pad.

As a storm battered Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, four bolts struck the launch pad of Artemis I.

The rain caused mayhem when authorities held a “wet dress rehearsal” for its Space Launch System rocket.

According to the New York Times, the rocket is powered by more than 700,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

The countdown begins at ten, but the rocket does not take off because the engines are not ignited. After that, the tanks are drained.

Three of the strikes were minor, but the fourth struck one of Launchpad’s 39 lightning protection towers.

The towers are made of fibreglass, and cables and conductors assist direct lightning strikes away from the rocket.

The fourth bolt was “the strongest we have seen since we built the new lightning protection system,” according to Jeremy Parsons, deputy manager of the exploration ground systems programme at Kennedy Space Center.

Sensors on the towers aid in determining the rocket’s condition following each impact.

“This design helps keep the rocket insulated from harmful currents,” Parsons explained.

The wet dress rehearsal was halted because to lightning strikes, but the countdown might resume.

NASA officials confirmed on Sunday that the wet dress rehearsal had been “scrubbed.”

According to Space, there was an issue with the mobile launch platform’s ground equipment.

The problem was traced back to the fans that generate positive pressure near the launcher.

According to Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, launch director for NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, a breaker tripped, causing a fan to fail.