In this handout image provided by NASA, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion … [+]
NASA has scrubbed the planned maiden flight of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule around the Moon.
The vehicle was due to leave from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The space agency called a scrub on the launch of its Artemis-1 mission at 8:35 a.m. EST on Monday, August 29, 2022 after an engine bleed. Engineers were not able to cool one of the massive rocket’s four engines.
There is expected to be an announcement later from NASA regarding a new launch date, though celestial mechanics mean that opportunities are spaced out.
The next possible launch date for Artemis-1 is 12:48 p.m. EST on Friday, September 2, 2022. That launch window stretches to 2:48 p.m. EST.
After that another launch window opens at 5:12 p.m. EST and closes at 6:42 p.m. EST on Tuesday, September 5.
However, it’s possible that an additional fueling test will be needed, which could mean further delays.
The long gaps between launch windows is down to the position of the Moon in relation to Earth and also to the flight plan. The solar-powered Orion spacecraft’s trajectory must not take it through the path of an eclipse—the shadow of the Moon—for more than 90 minutes otherwise it will completely lose power.
After September 5 the next launch window would be September 19, 2022.
Keep an eye on the the @NASAArtemis and @NASA Twitter feeds for updates to launch times.
The Artemis-1 mission will see SLS take NASA’s Orion crew module and the European Space Agency’s European Service Module (ESM) to the Moon and back on a 42-day mission.
At 8.8 million pounds (3.9 million kg) of thrust, SLS is the most powerful rocket in the world to launch since NASA’s final Saturn V “Moon rocket” took the Skylab space station into Earth orbit in 1973.
It’s arguably the most important flight for NASA since the first space Shuttle launch on April 12, 1981.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
