NASA’s next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with its Orion crew capsule perched on top, as it stands on launch pad 39B in preparation for the unmanned Artemis 1 mission at Cape Canaveral, Florida, August 27, 2022.
Joe Skipper | Reuters
NASA announced it will make another attempt to launch the Artemis I lunar mission on Saturday, after calling off the launch on Monday due to an engine issue.
The space agency is working toward the debut of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule, for what would be a more than month-long journey around the moon.
On Monday, NASA was unable to resolve a temperature problem identified with one of the rocket’s four liquid-fueled engines, discovered with under two hours to go in the countdown.
NASA’s Artemis I mission manager Mike Sarafin said during a press conference on Tuesday that the team will change the procedure of loading propellant into the rocket, and will start trying to chill the engine to the optimal temperature earlier during the countdown.
Notably, weather remains a concern for whether NASA can attempt the launch on Saturday, according to Space Force weather launch officer Mark Burger.
“The probability of weather violation at any point in the countdown still looks to me rather high,” Burger said during the press conference.
The uncrewed flight is set to be the first of the agency’s most powerful rocket ever assembled and kicks off NASA’s long-awaited return to the moon’s surface. It marks the beginning of NASA’s Artemis lunar program, which is expected to land the agency’s astronauts on the moon by its third mission in 2025.
While Artemis I will not carry astronauts, nor land on the moon, the mission is critical to demonstrating that NASA’s monster rocket and deep space capsule can deliver on their promised abilities. Artemis I has been delayed for years, with the program running billions over budget.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
