NASA officials announced Monday that they are still evaluating when they will next attempt to launch Artemis I but said they have not ruled out Friday.
The Artemis I was scheduled to launch Monday morning during a two-hour window as part of NASA’s goal to return to the moon, but the launch was scrubbed due to various factors that delayed the launch.
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Mike Sarafin, mission manager for Artemis I, said the problems with the launch this morning included issues with the engine bleed, a heating process for the fuel burning part of the rocket, and weather.
“The combination of not being able to get engine three chilled down and then the vent valve issue they saw at the inner tank really caused us to pause today, and we felt like we needed a little more time,” said Sarafin.
He continued, “There was also a series of weather issues throughout the window. We would have been no-go for weather at the beginning of the window due to precipitation, and later on in the window, we would have no-go for lightning within the launchpad area.”
Sarafin also said a more firm decision on the next steps for the launch of Artemis I would be decided tomorrow.
“We’re gonna give the team time to rest, first of all, and then come back fresh tomorrow and reassess what we learned today and develop a series of options. It’s too early to say what the options are,” Sarafin said.
Later, when pressed by a reporter, Sarafin confirmed that a Friday launch had not been ruled out but did not say whether it was likely the launch would happen then. When the launch was scrubbed earlier Monday, NASA officials stated the next available launch window would be Friday.
“We really need time to look at all the information, all the data, and we’re gonna play all nine innings here, and we’re not ready to give up,” Sarafin said.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson explained that the complexity of the Artemis rocket makes it difficult to launch.
“This is a brand new rocket; it’s not gonna fly until it’s ready. There are millions of components of this rocket and its system. Needless to say, the complexity is daunting when it comes to a countdown,” said Nelson.
The unmanned Artemis I mission is scheduled to be the first test run of systems for the space agency’s return to the moon. If all goes to plan with the Artemis I mission, the expectation is that a flight with astronauts going around the moon will take place as soon as 2024. Astronauts would not land on the moon until 2025 at the earliest.
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NASA’s last manned mission to the moon was Apollo 17 in December 1972. Various delays have plagued the space agency’s return to the moon, with Monday’s scrubbed launch the latest in that series.
