The Space Launch System, NASA’s massive moon rocket, was unable to leave the launchpad on Monday due to a technical issue. NASA will therefore give it another shot on Saturday, hoping that its engineers have found a solution. You should be aware of the following regarding the second attempt to launch the Artemis I mission.
How and when can I watch the launch?
It will launch at 2:17 p.m. Eastern time. The liftoff can be delayed by up to two hours, to 4:17 p.m., in case of bad weather or technical difficulties.
At 5:45 a.m., a commentator will begin the online coverage of NASA Television for the Artemis I launch by describing the procedure of filling the rocket’s enormous propellant tanks.
At 12:15 pm, the agency’s complete coverage will start.
At 1:00 pm, Spanish-language coverage will start.
According to forecasts, there is a 60% chance of good weather at the start of the launch window and an 80% chance by the end of the two-hour window.
If Artemis I launches, coverage will last for about two hours as the Orion spacecraft is propelled out of low-Earth orbit and onto a trajectory toward the moon by firing what is known as the trans-lunar injection engine.
If the launch is once again delayed, NASA may attempt to launch on Monday, September 5, or Tuesday, September 6. There is a 70% chance of good weather on Monday, according to the current forecasts.
NASA will have to roll the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, which is essentially a huge garage for maintaining rockets if it does not launch by Tuesday. After that, a launch attempt might occur later in September or in October.
Why was the rocket’s launch on Monday canceled?
The rocket’s four core-stage engines needed to be properly chilled before ignition, according to a sensor, which caused the launch to be aborted on Monday.
According to John Honeycutt, the program manager in charge of managing the development of the Space Launch System rocket, the temperatures of three of the engines were approaching the target of minus 420 degrees Fahrenheit while the temperature of the fourth appeared to be about 40 degrees warmer.
The engine might have shut off during takeoff if it had gotten too warm.
The temperature sensor was faulty, and the engine was actually cold enough, mission officials claimed at a news conference on Thursday after analyzing additional data.
What are Orion and the Space Launch System?
The moon can only be reached by astronauts with a large rocket. That rocket is the Space Launch System, the most potent one since NASA astronauts traveled to the moon on the Saturn V in the 1960s and 1970s. The one that will launch on Monday is 322 feet tall and will be 5.5 million pounds when it is fully fueled.
The S.L.S. rocket is similar in appearance to the retired space shuttles. This was planned: NASA reused a large portion of its space shuttle technology from the 1970s to streamline the development of its new moon rocket.
The Orion spacecraft, which is intended for multiple-week missions beyond low-Earth orbit, is the cargo for the Space Launch System on Monday. Although it can accommodate four astronauts, there won’t be a crew on board for this flight. If this mission is successful, four astronauts will fly on Artemis II, the following mission.
