NASA Ready For Second Attempt To Launch Artemis 1 Moon Mission

 NASA Ready For Second Attempt To Launch Artemis 1 Moon Mission

After failing to launch its most recent moon rocket earlier this week, NASA will attempt to do it on Saturday.

The launch, which was originally scheduled for August 29, had to be aborted just before takeoff because one of the engines experienced a temperature issue.

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the ground systems will be tested for the first time during the launch of Artemis 1 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:17 p.m. (Irish time).

Unmanned lunar orbital testing will pave the way for future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis, including a crewed flight test.

Meteorologists with the US Space Force Space Launch Delta 45 predict a 60% chance of favourable weather conditions at the beginning of the two-hour launch window.

The 322ft (98m) tall Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is the world’s most powerful rocket to date, is due to take the Orion capsule, powered by the Airbus-built European Service Module (ESM), into the moon’s orbit.

The flight, which will carry mannequins rather than astronauts, marks the next chapter in putting humans back on the moon.

There will be people on board for subsequent missions, with the first crewed flight into space scheduled for 2024.

Humans last reached the moon some 50 years ago, and the latest mission is about proving people can make longer and more sustainable trips there.

It will also assess whether some infrastructure can be built on and around the moon, allowing humans to survive on another planetary body.

The mission duration is 37 days, 23 hours, 53 minutes and in total it will travel 1.3 million miles.