BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The Artemis I mission will remain grounded for now while NASA works to address the problem that caused another scrub.
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As of now, there is no solid date for NASA’s third attempt at launching their moon rocket.
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NASA scrubbed Saturday’s launch attempt because of a fuel leak that was detected on one of the hydrogen tanks.
NASA scientists are now taking a closer look at the rocket to make sure it’ll function as planned ahead of a third launch attempt, which could be weeks away.
#Artemis Update: The team continues to troubleshoot, and plans to return with a variety of options early next week. We are standing down on any launch attempts through the current launch period, which ends Tuesday.
— NASA (@NASA) September 3, 2022
See https://t.co/dMVnvEQcfC for more information. pic.twitter.com/cCefwG9FO0
The estimated 400,000 spectators that flocked to the Space Coast packed up and left disappointed again.
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Scientists were unable to fix the dangerous fuel leak in time to make the launch window, which means the SLS rocket will be headed back to the vehicle assembly building for additional testing.
“I look at this as a part of our space program, of which safety is the top of the list,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.
One of the goals of the mission is to test the limits of new space technology before they attempt to send humans up on the next Artemis flight in 2024, and they want to give the mission the best chance at success.
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Scientists haven’t announced a new Artemis I launch date, but because certain space conditions are needed to help Artemis I on its mission, the next window won’t open until September 19.
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