NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said delays are part of the "space business," particularly when dealing with machines as complicated as Artemis 1. Launch commentator Derrol Nail said engineers were still analyzing the issues, and “we must wait to see what shakes out from their test data" before announcing a new launch date and time. The postponement was a disappointment to thousands of people who jammed the Florida coastline to see the launch. "Our commitment to the Artemis Program remains firm, and we will return to the moon." NASA: 'You don't want to light the candle until it's ready to go' "While we hoped to see the launch of Artemis I today, the attempt provided valuable data as we test the most powerful rocket in history," Harris tweeted. She remained upbeat after the decision was made to postpone the flight. ![]() Vice President Kamala Harris was among thousands who gathered in Florida for the launch. The capsule will have to survive the fiery descent during the process that will likely become one of the fastest reentries to date.ĥ0 YEARS LATER: US takes its first step back to moon with launch of Artemis I VP Kamala Harris reaffirms commitment to space exploration The massive Space Launch System rocket will become the agency's most powerful when it ultimately takes flight. The top priority will be testing Orion's new heat shield as it reenters Earth's atmosphere at 25,000 mph. NASA had struggled to fuel the rocket with nearly 1 million gallons of hydrogen and oxygen because of a leak of highly explosive hydrogen, a problem that also flared up during testing last spring. "Scrubs are just part of this program,'' he said.Īdded Jim Free, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development, citing the advice Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy shared with her family when they were coming to watch her own spaceflight take off: "Plan a week trip to Florida for vacation and you might see a launch.'' This first test mission involves a roundtrip that will take about 42 days.Īmid 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. This 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. "And later on in the window, we would have been no-go for lightning within the launch pad area." "We would have been a no-go for weather at the beginning of the window due to precipitation,'' Sarafin said. And he revealed that weather concerns during the window of time for launch were also part of the decision to scrub. Sarafin said signs don't point to a problem with the engine, but rather with the bleed system that keeps the engines at the proper temperature. "We just need a little bit of time to look at the data, but the team is setting up for a 96-hour recycle.'' "Friday is definitely in play,'' said mission manager Mike Sarafin. The next flight window from Florida's Kennedy Space Center is Friday if NASA determines the rocket is ready, which is far from certain. ![]() The internal watchdog found that more than $40 billion has already been spent on Artemis, and projected NASA would spend $93 billion on the effort by the time the first crewed landing happens.NASA's Artemis I mission, scheduled to launch Monday to take an Orion capsule with three test dummies to the moon and back, was scrubbed because of an engine cooling issue and other concerns that cropped up during final preparations. ![]() NASA's program has enjoyed strong bipartisan political support, but the agency's Inspector General recently warned that Artemis is not a "sustainable" way to establish a presence on the moon. It said a 10-foot section of insulation near the Orion capsule had pulled away due to the high winds – but NASA decided to proceed with Wednesday's launch attempt after an analysis showed it was not expected to cause any significant damage if the insulation falls off during the launch.Ī host of aerospace contractors support the hardware, infrastructure and software for SLS and Orion – with Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Airbus and Jacobs leading the effort. NASA said it checked the rocket and spacecraft after the storm passed and found no major damage to the vehicle. Last week, NASA left SLS and Orion out on the launchpad to weather the winds of Hurricane Nicole. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit
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