Space

Artemis Rocket Launch Rescheduled for Saturday

Posted

The highly anticipated Artemis I launch has been tentatively rescheduled for this Saturday, September 3rd, after being initially scrubbed on Monday. It may be a challenge though, as forecasts currently project a 60% chance the weather is not conducive for a launch.

The historic mission was put off after it was reported one of its four engines was having a temperature control issue.

Artemis I will be launched by the Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket assembled in human history. It’s the first step of NASA’s mission to return to the moon by 2025.

No astronauts will be aboard Artemis I, but the launch will be critical in determining whether the Artemis program is equipped to bring passengers to the moon in three years’ time. An Orion capsule will be sent on a trip around the moon, with three mannequins that will gather data that’ll help prepare the astronauts for their trip.

The Orion capsule will pass just 60 miles from the surface of the moon, before using the moon’s gravity as a slingshot to return to earth. The initial launch attempt on Monday drew mass crowds from around the state and country, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.