Artemis I scrubbed again due to fuel leak, may not launch until October

Next chance may not come until October, NASA administrators say

  • Monday's Atermis rocket launch should look something like this on the Brevard County coast. PHOTO/NASA
    Monday's Atermis rocket launch should look something like this on the Brevard County coast. PHOTO/NASA

    UPDATE: Saturday's launch attempt was scrubbed due to a liquid hydrogen fuel leak that could not be resolved during the launch window.

    NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that if the Space Launch System rocket needs to be rolled back to its assembly building, a new attempt to launch the Artemis I moon mission may not happen until between Oct. 17-31.

    It is depending on whether the rocket needs to be rolled back to its assembly building for fuel tank and sensor repairs.

     

     

    Osceolans should focus their eyes to the east to try to catch a glimpse of what should be a historic rocket launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

    The Artemis I launch is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at KSC. As part of the test, the spacecraft will travel to a distant orbit around the far side of the moon, travelling a total distance of more than 1.3 million miles over the course of 42 days. It will travel farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. 

    This test flight paves the way for humans to return to the moon, and possibly Mars by 2025, and future missions include landing the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the Moon. In addition to testing the spacecraft themselves, the flight will also test the survival suits future astronauts will wear on the mission. There are also several science experiments onboard, all of which will help gather data to make deep space travel safer and easier for humans in the future.

    If all goes well, astronauts will be on the next Artemis mission. NASA says there are 42 candidates for the mission.

    Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to be on the Space Coast to take in the mission, give a speech and check out the hardware for Artemis' next two missions. For those planning to join her and travel to the coast for the launch, expect heavy traffic and considerable delays. According to Meagan Happel, PR manager for the Space Coast Office of Tourism, the area is expecting more than 100,000 visitors for the Artemis launch. The office has a list of launch day resources, including traffic maps and viewing locations available at https://www.visitspacecoast.com/launch-resources