NASA scrubs launch of giant Moon rocket, may try again Friday

(L-R) NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, and Jim Free, NASA's associate director for exploration systems development

NASA's SLS rocket and the Orion capsule at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

NASA has scrubbed a test flight of its powerful new rocket, in a setback to its plan to send humans back to the Moon and eventually to Mars, but may shoot for another launch attempt on Friday.

"We don't launch until it's right," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said after an engine issue forced a cancellation of Monday's flight from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The goal of the mission, baptized Artemis 1 after the twin sister of Apollo, is to test the 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion crew capsule that sits on top.

Mike Sarafin, mission manager of Artemis 1, said the space agency is hoping to make another launch attempt later this week.

NASA would have a better idea of whether a Friday launch is feasible after a meeting on Tuesday of the management team, he said.

Next Monday, September 5, is an alternative launch date.

Delays are "part of the space business," Nelson said, expressing confidence NASA engineers will "get it fixed and then we'll fly."

"Our commitment to the Artemis Program remains firm, and we will return to the Moon," Harris tweeted.

"This is a brand new vehicle," Love said. "It has a million parts. All of them have to work perfectly."

Overnight operations to fill the orange-and-white rocket with ultra-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen were briefly delayed by a risk of lightning.

NASA engineers later detected the engine temperature problem and decided to scrub the launch.

During the 42-day trip, Orion will follow an elliptical course around the Moon, coming within 60 miles (100 kilometers) at its closest approach and 40,000 miles at its farthest -- the deepest into space by a craft designed to carry humans.

On its return to Earth's atmosphere, the heat shield will have to withstand speeds of 25,000 miles per hour and a temperature of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius) -- roughly half as hot as the Sun.

NASA is expected to spend $93 billion between 2012 and 2025 on the Artemis program, which is already years behind schedule, at a cost of $4.1 billion per launch.

The crew of Artemis 3 is to land on the Moon in 2025 at the earliest.

The Artemis program aims to establish a lasting human presence on the Moon with an orbiting space station known as Gateway and a base on the surface.

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Originally published as NASA scrubs launch of giant Moon rocket, may try again Friday