NASA announced on Tuesday that it will attempt to launch its new mega-rocket to the Moon on Saturday, after a failed attempt on Monday due to a technical problem.
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“We have agreed to change our takeoff date for Saturday, September 3,” said Mike Sarafin, in charge at NASA of the Artemis 1 mission, which should mark the start of the US lunar return program.
A weather official said he was “optimistic” about the weather on Saturday, although the likelihood of unfavorable conditions during the two-hour shooting window, which begins at 2:17 p.m. local time (6:17 p.m. GMT), is “high”.
The launch of the rocket was canceled on Monday at the last moment due to a cooling problem in one of the four main engines, under the main stage. These RS-25 engines need to be cooled so they don’t get shocked by the ultra-cold fuel when ignited. But one of them could not reach the desired temperature.
This temperature is reached by letting a tiny part of the cryogenic fuel escape on the engines. This problem was caused by a “poor connection” on a component of the craft, which has since been “fixed”, said John Honeycutt, program manager for the rocket.
A leak problem when filling the fuel tanks was also observed on Monday, and even if it could have been overcome, NASA teams will work to fix it by Saturday.
The Artemis 1 mission is to launch the unmanned Orion capsule into orbit around the Moon, to verify that the vehicle is safe for future astronauts — including the first woman and the first person of color to walk on the lunar surface.