NASA now targeting Saturday for Artemis I launch to the moon
NASA is now targeting this weekend for the next attempt at launching its Artemis I mission to the moon after Monday's launch was scrubbed because of technical problems at Kennedy Space Center.
Officials said late Tuesday that teams were prepping for liftoff of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule at 2:17 p.m. EDT Saturday. There is a two-hour launch window.
The massive rocket will become NASA's most powerful when it ultimately takes flight.
The mission will be the first flight in NASA’s Artemis project, a quest to put astronauts back on the moon for the first time since the Apollo program ended 50 years ago. The timeline for returning to the moon is sometime after 2025. This first test mission involves a round trip that will take about 42 days.
MONDAY: Engine cooling, other issues delay NASA launch of Artemis I moon rocket
NASA's Artemis I mission was set to launch Monday to take the Orion capsule with three test dummies to the moon and back. It was scrubbed because of an engine cooling malfunction and other concerns that cropped up during final preparations.
Amid the disappointment about the delay on a day when Vice President Kamala Harris was in attendance, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson tried to put the decision in perspective, noting that his spaceflight was scrubbed four times before he became the second member of Congress to reach Earth's orbit, in 1985.
"Scrubs are just part of this program,'' he said.
Weather for Saturday's attempt is questionable: The Space Force said Tuesday that conditions for the two-hour window will be roughly 40% "go."
Saturday wasn't originally one of the opportunities chosen by NASA in this late-August-to-early-September window, but teams opted to give SLS one more shot. Another backup is available at 5:12 p.m. EDT Monday, but beyond that, SLS will not be able to fly without first rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for hardware work and testing.
Contributing: John Bacon and Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: When will Artemis I launch? NASA now targeting Saturday
