NASA had to scrub two launch attempts as the rocket experienced technical glitches, including a fuel leak
But there are still several things that could stand in the way of getting the Artemis I mission off the ground, any of which could push the launch date back further
As NASA scrubbed the Artemis 1 uncrewed mission to the Moon once again, Elon Musk on Sunday came up with a suggestion for the ailing mission that will finally land astronauts on the lunar surface
The US space agency has decided not to attempt the launch of the Artemis I Moon mission in early September as the teams were reviewing options after two failed attempts
NASA's new moon rocket sprang another hazardous leak Saturday, as the launch team began fuelling it for liftoff on a test flight that must go well before astronauts climb aboard. For the second time this week, the launch team began loading nearly 1 million gallons of fuel into the 322-foot rocket, the most powerful ever built by NASA. Monday's attempt was halted by a bad engine sensor and leaking fuel. As the sun rose, an over-pressure alarm sounded and the tanking operation was briefly halted, but no damage occurred and the effort resumed, NASA's Launch Control reported. But minutes later, hydrogen fuel began leaking from the engine section at the bottom of the rocket. NASA halted the operation, while engineers scrambled to plug what was believed to be a gap around a seal. The countdown clocks continued ticking toward an afternoon liftoff; NASA had two hours Saturday to get the rocket off. NASA wants to send the crew capsule atop the rocket around the moon, pushing it to the li
Parked near the moon, how do they eat, breathe, cope with isolation, radiation?
NASA will try again Saturday to launch its new moon rocket on a test flight, after engine trouble halted the first countdown this week. Managers said Tuesday they are changing fueling procedures to deal with the issue. The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket remains on its pad at Kennedy Space Center, with an empty crew capsule on top. It's the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA. The Space Launch System rocket, or SLS, will attempt to send the capsule around the moon and back. No one will be aboard, just three test dummies. If successful, it will be the first capsule to fly to the moon since NASA's Apollo program 50 years ago. During Monday's launch attempt, one of the four main engines in the rocket's core stage could not be chilled sufficiently prior to planned ignition moments before liftoff. The three others came up just a little short. The chilling operation will be conducted a half-hour earlier for Saturday afternoon's try, once fueling is underway at the pad, officials said. J
NASA engineers were evaluating data gathered during the Artemis I launch attempt, which was scrubbed owing to a technical glitch in one of the rocket engines
Artemis 1 was supposed to orbit the moon, deploy some satellites, and settle into the orbit. It was meant to test SLS rocket and the Orion crew capsule
Fuel leaks and a possible crack discovered during final liftoff preparations threatened to delay the launch of NASA's mighty new moon rocket Monday morning on its shakedown flight with three test dummies aboard. As precious minutes ticked away, NASA repeatedly stopped and started the fuelling of the Space Launch System rocket with nearly 1 million gallons of super-cold hydrogen and oxygen because of a leak. The fuelling already was running nearly an hour late because of thunderstorms off Florida's Kennedy Space Centre. The leak appeared in the same place that saw seepage during a dress rehearsal back in the spring. Then a second apparent leak in a valve turned up, officials said. Later in the morning, a crack or some other defect was spotted on the core stage the big orange fuel tank with four main engines on it with frost appearing around the suspect area, NASA officials said. Engineers began studying the buildup. The rocket was set to lift off on a mission to put a crew caps
NASA began fuelling its new moon rocket early Monday for liftoff on a test flight to put a crew capsule into lunar orbit for the first time in 50 years. Thunderstorms delayed the fuelling operation by an hour. The threat of lightning diminished enough to allow the launch team to proceed with loading the rocket's tanks. But it was uncertain how much the stalled work might shorten the two-hour launch window. No one was inside the Orion capsule atop the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket at Kennedy Space Center. Instead, three test dummies were strapped in for the lunar-orbiting mission, expected to last six weeks. It's the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA, out-muscling the Saturn V that carried astronauts to the moon a half-century ago. Thousands of people jammed the coast to see the Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket soar. Rain pelted the launch site as the launch team finally began loading more than 1 million gallons of super-cold fuel into the rocket. Forecasters remained optimist
Artemis 1 is going to be the first flight of the new Space Launch System. This is a "heavy lift" vehicle, as NASA refers to it
If all goes well, a massive uncrewed rocket will lift off on Monday morning, then circle the moon in an orbit that will take it deep into space before it returns to Earth 42 days later
Years late and billions over budget, NASA's new moon rocket makes its debut next week in a high-stakes test flight before astronauts get on top. The 322-foot rocket will attempt to send an empty crew capsule into a far-flung lunar orbit, 50 years after NASA's famed Apollo moonshots. If all goes well, astronauts could strap in as soon as 2024 for a lap around the moon, with NASA aiming to land two people on the lunar surface by the end of 2025. Liftoff is set for Monday morning from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The six-week test flight is risky and could be cut short if something fails, NASA officials warn. We're going to stress it and test it. We're going make it do things that we would never do with a crew on it in order to try to make it as safe as possible, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The retired founder of George Washington University's space policy institute said a lot is riding on this trial run. Spiraling costs and long gaps betwe
Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond
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The supermoon be visible for the next three days and people across the world would be able to see till Friday morning, according to Nasa
In 2019, China became the first country to land a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon. That same year, China and Russia announced joint plans to reach the South Pole of the Moon by 2026
NASA said Tuesday it has lost contact with a $32.7 million spacecraft headed to the moon to test out a lopsided lunar orbit, but agency engineers are hopeful they can fix the problem
US space agency NASA has delayed the scheduled launch of the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon over systems checks