The launch of the Artemis I mission, NASA’s first program test flight for a manned return to the Moon, was canceled after engine three failed to function as expected. A new attempt must be made in the first week of September.
The first test flight of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion capsule, intended to take humans back to the Moon, was scheduled for this Monday morning (29). This step is unmanned.
The countdown began 48 hours before liftoff, which was supposed to take place on platform 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The weather forecast indicated a 70% chance of good conditions for the time of the flight. The prospect of good weather added to the two-hour launch window was encouraging.
In addition to meteorology, possible problems with the launch systems were among the possibilities. In the last “wet test” (in which the rocket is taken to the platform and fueled, simulating all the steps until launch), the American space agency ended up stopping the count with 29 seconds left. According to the technicians, the problem that prevented the achievement of the goal (reaching within 5 seconds of the simulated launch) was identified and resolved.
