Artemis, I apologize to everyone who was anticipating viewing a moment in history today. I won’t be taking to the skies yet. Due to problems with one of the rocket’s four core stage engines, NASA’s mission to return to the Moon has been delayed for a few days.
The required temperature range for Engine 3 to start them is not being reached. A portion of the cryogenic propellants are bled into the engines to complete the operation, but that engine is not cooperating at all.
The launch was cancelled after the countdown briefly stalled at T minus 40 minutes.
The mission’s following launch window is on Friday, September 2. On that day, Artemis I has a two-hour launch window beginning at 12:48 PM ET (4:48 pm UTC). Instead of returning after 42 days if it had flown today, the mission would return on October 11 after 40 days. The next window will be on September 5 and will begin at 5:12 PM ET (9:12 PM UTC) and last for 90 minutes if it is postponed further. Following a launch, the mission would last 43 days and end on October 17.
During the mission, the Orion spacecraft of Artemis I will orbit the Moon for six days. In order to prepare for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to orbit the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, it will test critical technology.
