After a first failed attempt on Monday due to a technical problem, NASA announced on Tuesday August 30 that it would attempt to launch its new mega rocket for the Moon on Saturday.
“We have agreed to change our take-off date to Saturday, September 3”said Mike Sarafin, in charge at NASA of the Artemis-1 mission, which should mark the start of the American program to return to the Moon, at a press conference.
A meteorological official said ” optimistic “ regarding the weather on Saturday, although the likelihood of unfavorable conditions during the two-hour firing window, which begins at 2:17 p.m. local time (8:17 p.m. Paris time), is “high”.
The Space Launch System (SLS), this new NASA rocket – the most powerful in the world – takes off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Verify vehicle safety for future astronauts
The launch of the rocket was canceled on Monday at the last moment due to a cooling problem in one of the four main engines, under the main stage. These RS-25 engines need to be cooled so they don’t get shocked by the ultra-cold fuel when ignited. But one of them could not reach the desired temperature.
This temperature is reached by letting a tiny part of the cryogenic fuel escape on the engines. This problem was caused by a ” bad connection “ on an element of the craft, which has since been ” fixed “said John Honeycutt, in charge of the rocket program.
Thousands of people made the trip on Monday to attend the show, including the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris. A leak problem when filling the fuel tanks had also been observed, and even if it could have been overcome, NASA teams will work to fix it by Saturday.
The Artemis-1 mission is to launch the unmanned Orion capsule into orbit around the Moon, to verify that the vehicle is safe for future astronauts – including the first woman and the first person of color to walk on the lunar surface .