NASA postpones test flight of next-generation Moon rocket

Washington: NASA was all geared up to send its debut Space Launch System (SLS) mission called Artemis I into deep space to perform a long orbit around the Moon before coming back to Earth has decided to postpone the launch.

The uncrewed Artemis I mission that originally had a two-hour launch window today from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B in Florida in the US had to be halted due to engine failure.

The rocket’s engine “didn’t get the high accuracy temperature that they were looking for”, the launch control communicator, Derrol Nail, said of engineers’ efforts to “condition” the engine for launch.

Officials have scheduled another launch attempt for September 2.

Artemis I will lay the foundation for a sustained long-term presence on and around the Moon.

“The SLS rocket and integrated Orion spacecraft will help us get a feel for what astronauts will experience on future flights. Artemis I is an important step in NASA’s long-term goals for space exploration, paving the way for us to land the first woman and the first person of colour on the Moon,” the space agency said in a statement.

The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

The US space agency last week identified 13 candidate landing regions near the lunar south pole, as it prepares to send humans back to the Moon under the Artemis programme in 2024. NASA Artemis launch ready

Each region contains multiple potential landing sites for Artemis III, which will be the first of the Artemis missions to bring the crew to the lunar surface. NASA Artemis launch ready

About NASA Artemis I

All eyes will be on the historic Launch Complex 39B when the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lift off for the first time from NASA’s modernized Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence at the Moon for decades to come.

The primary goals for Artemis I are to demonstrate Orion’s systems in a spaceflight environment and ensure a safe re-entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery prior to the first flight with crew on Artemis II.

Source: Agencies