Despite the unfortunate problem that ensued on yesterday's supposed launch of Artemis 1, NASA said that the mission could still proceed this week, according to a report by Space.com.
The eagerly awaited Artemis 1 was scheduled to launch on August 29 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying an unmanned Orion capsule on the agency's massive new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
But during the countdown, a problem with one of the four RS-25 engines in the SLS's core stage forced the Artemis 1 team to abort the mission.
Another Chance for Artemis 1
On Friday, Sept. 2, there may be another chance to launch Artemis 1, and according to NASA officials, they are still committed to achieving that goal.
Mike Sarafin, the mission manager for Artemis, stated today at a post-scrub press conference that the next launch would occur on Friday. He added that the crew is preparing for 96-hour recycling while looking at the rocket's data.
The Artemis 1 team wasn't able to cool the RS-25 engine down to a temperature of roughly 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) in time for the scheduled liftoff.
According to Sarafin, thermal priming the engines in this manner prevents a shock when they begin burning their cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen propellants.
Hence, there needs to be additional research done before the Artemis 1 crew can determine why the engine, known as No. 3, didn't get cold enough before takeoff.
But thankfully, the preliminary analyses produced some encouraging results.
"Right now, the indications don't point to an engine problem, it's in the 'bleed' system that thermally conditions the engines" with super-cold propellant," Sarafin said.
After a hard night and early morning of countdown preparation, the Artemis 1 team is taking the remainder of the day to rest up, according to Sarafin.
The crew will meet again tomorrow by Aug. 30 to go deeper into the data and go over the mission's next stages, which will be revealed during a news conference tomorrow evening.
If Artemis 1 is unable to take off on Friday, the following opportunities will be on September 5 and 19.
The Artemis program has cost about $40 billion since it began in 2017. NASA's major goal will be to establish a sustained presence on the Moon with a space station and a lunar base camp as part of a larger push to prioritize human space flight.
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
