Why was the NASA Artemis I moon launch cancelled and when will the next launch be?
NASA’s 21st century shot at getting astronauts to the moon hit a setback after technical problems disrupted proceedings, but the launch may not be far away.
NASA’s flagship rocket programme, Artemis I, will not be launching in August. The unmanned mission aims to test the viability of getting humans to the moon this decade, more than fifty years since man last walked on its surface.
The Artemis I program boast’s NASA’s most powerful spacecraft to date. However the launch has been postponed after problems with the engine, as well as a fuel leak in a crucial component, delayed the scheduled take-off on Monday.
The fuel leak affected liquid hydrogen storage in one of the rockets. This is thought to be related to the mechanical failure that scuppered trial launches back in the Spring and is something that needs to be fixed before any launch can take place.
The space agency has a number of potential backup launch dates, which are Friday 2 and Monday 5 September.
“This is a very complicated machine, a very complicated system, and all those things have to work, and you don’t want to light the candle until it’s ready to go,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. He added that the agency was taking all necessary precautions as though there were real astronauts onboard.
You don’t want to launch a candle until it’s ready to go.
The rocket had just a two hour window in which to launch and was originally scheduled to depart on its six week journey at 8:33am local time.
Coupled with the technical problems with the rocket, adverse weather conditions later into the time slot meant launching on Monday was untenable. Forecasters warned of the possibility of thunderstorms and dark clouds.
When will the launch be rescheduled to?
The earliest a rescheduled launch can be held is Friday, September 2. However, that is reliant on the problem being fixed in time and the weather conditions being conducive to a major launch.
Launch commentator Derrol Nail said engineers were investigating the engine problem and that “we must wait to see what shakes out from their test data.”
If more extensive work is required then the rocket will need to be returned to the Kennedy Space Center to allow engineers to fully assess the issues. If this were to be the case, the next launch date could be pushed back until the end of September at earliest.