NASA scrubs Artemis I launch due to technical issues
(Update 1: Adds detail)
Miami, Aug 29 (EFE).- NASA was forced to postpone the flight of its Artemis I mission to the Moon on Monday due to an engine bleed issue that could not be remedied in time for launch.
The Space Launch System was originally slated to blast off from the Kennedy Space Station at 8.33 am local time.
NASA officials confirmed the flight had been “scrubbed.”
“Launch controllers were continuing to evaluate why a bleed test to get the RS-25 engines on the bottom of the core stage to the proper temperature range for liftoff was not successful, and ran out of time in the two-hour launch window. Engineers are continuing to gather additional data,” NASA said in a blog post.
NASA officials added that one of the four rocket engines failed to reach the correct temperature for the launch to go ahead. The rocket is to remain fueled and in position.
The test mission aims to launch the Orion spacecraft with three dummies on board into orbit around the Moon and is regarded as the first step toward manned flights in the near future.
Towering 98 meters (322 feet) high, the colossal spacecraft is part of NASA’s first mission to the Moon since the end of the Apollo program.
A second attempt at the launch will not go ahead before Friday, although an official date has yet to be confirmed. EFE
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