NASA Again Calls Off Artemis Moon Mission: Here's Why And The Next Scheduled Attempt

The U.S. space agency NASA has postponed the Artemis I moon mission again. This time due to a hydrogen fuel leak from the engine section. 

The mission was called at 11:17 a.m. ET, three hours before the beginning of the launch window. The launch was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. 

The hydrogen leak was detected Saturday at 7:15 a.m. ET, and engineers at the station tried to fix the fuel leakage but failed. The leak prevented the launch team from being able to fill the liquid hydrogen tank, despite multiple attempts. 

This was the second time in a week that NASA has been forced to halt the launch due to technical issues.

Earlier on Monday, engineers at the center could not chill down the four RS-25 engines, with one engine showing higher temperatures than the other engines.

Also Read: NASA Selects Proposals to Study Stellar Explosions, Galaxies, Stars

After several attempts to resolve the issue, the mission was called off. 

According to NASA, it will proceed with another attempt to launch either on Sept. 5 or Sept. 6. 

The Artemis I stack includes the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. It remains on Launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

NASA aims to send the SLS and the Orion crew capsule around the moon. After the successful launch, the Orion will travel into space for about six weeks before returning and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

Artemis aims to establish a sustained human presence on the moon, with crews spending weeks at a time on the celestial body. 

Photo: NASA HQ PHOTO on flickr