NASA has mentioned it is going to make a second try at launching its next-generation moon rocket on Saturday, September 3.

The announcement follows a failed try and ship the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket skyward on Monday after engineers found a problem with one of many engines shortly earlier than liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA mentioned it plans to launch the uncrewed Artemis I flight at 2:17 p.m. ET pm Saturday, September 3. The launch window will stay open till 4:17 p.m. ET in case the countdown must be paused at any level.

“We’re now targeting Saturday, September 3, for the launch of the #Artemis I flight test around the moon,” the company mentioned in a tweet posted on Tuesday. “The two-hour launch window opens at 2:17 p.m. ET (18:17 UTC).”

We're now focusing on Saturday, Sept. 3 for the launch of the #Artemis I flight check across the Moon. The two-hour launch window opens at 2:17 p.m. ET (18:17 UTC). pic.twitter.com/MxwdcKHGdd

— NASA (@NASA) August 30, 2022

There was a lot disappointment when NASA referred to as off the launch on Monday, with large crowds lined up alongside the Space Coast ready to see the company’s strongest rocket up to now blast to area, and lots of extra watching on-line.

But the countdown clock was halted on the 40-minute mark when engineers noticed an issue with engine quantity three on the SLS rocket’s core stage.

Unable to resolve the problem in time, the staff determined to face down.

Later the identical day, NASA chief Bill Nelson commented on the scenario, saying: “There are certain guidelines, and I think it’s just illustrative that this is a very complicated machine, a very complicated system, and all those things have to work.”

He added: “You don’t want to light the candle until it’s ready to go.”

The Artemis I mission will mark the start of a brand new period of area journey that NASA hopes will finally result in the primary people reaching Mars. This first mission, nonetheless, is designed to check the brand new SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Once in area, the Orion capsule will fly across the moon, coming inside 62 miles of the lunar floor, earlier than returning to Earth in six weeks’ time.

Artemis II will fly the identical path however with astronauts on board, whereas Artemis III, which might happen as early as 2025, goals to place the primary girl and first individual of colour on the lunar floor.

Editors’ Recommendations