The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) put the Artemis I moon mission launch on hold for the second time yesterday, September 3. The launch was supposed to take place earlier this week originally but was stalled due to technical difficulties.
Now, NASA has said that the launch of the Artemis I mission to the moon is “definitely off the table” for the current window, and the space agency is exploring new dates for the launch, which might take place at the end of September or the first few weeks of October.
As per the position of the Earth and the Moon, the current window for the launch period is set to end on Tuesday, September 6. Jim Free, the associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, said at a press conference that the moon mission launch will not take place during the current window.
As per AFP reports, Free did not confirm any new dates for the launch of Artemis I but the new dates could fall between September 19 to October 4 and then October 17 to 31.
The 30-storey high rocket by NASA which was set to be sent off to the moon didn’t launch on the designated dates due to a fuel leak, while millions of people anxiously had their eyes set on the coast of Florida for the launch of the historic moon mission by the US space agency.
The Artemis I mission was stalled soon after a leak near the base of the rocket was found as ultra-cold liquid hydrogen was pumped in. In an official statement, NASA said, “The launch director waived off today's Artemis I launch. Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak... did not fix the issue.”
Since the launch of the Artemis I Moon mission has been stalled, for now, it is likely that the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will be hauled back to its assembly point for a thorough inspection and several tests to be carried out periodically.
The Artemis mission by NASA has the aim of putting a man on the moon by 2025, which has not been possible since the Apollo mission decades ago.
(With inputs from agencies)
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