Live Blog: Here is when NASA plans to launch Artemis I after scrubbing first attempt
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - NASA is now targeting Saturday, Sept. 3, as the next launch attempt for the Artemis I moon mission. The launch window is slated to open at 2:17 p.m. Watch our livestream in the player above for the latest coverage.
Originally scheduled for Monday, the launch was delayed – and eventually postponed – due to a couple of technical issues just before 9 a.m.
CURRENT ARTEMIS I UPDATES
TUESDAY, AUG. 30
5:01 p.m. | NASA will hold an Artemis briefing at 6 p.m.
3:30 p.m. | learn more about NASA's Space Launch System rocket with the SLS Reference Guide.
MONDAY, AUG. 29:
4:53 p.m. | Engineers continue to assess Artemis I launch attempt data. On Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. ET (22:00 UTC) NASA will provide an update on the status of the flight test. Details: https://go.nasa.gov/3wE9Ain
3:31 p.m. | "The mission management team will convene Tuesday afternoon to discuss the data and develop a plan forward with #ArtemisI"
2:01 p.m. | "Scrubs are never easy, but sometimes, they are the necessary choice. While today didn't go as we hoped, we learned more about our vehicle, testing both our teams and our process," said NASA’s Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Jim Free.
1:35 p.m. | While Friday remains a possibility for the next launch attempt of Artemis I, officials said additional data is needed. Another official said he told his family to plan for a week-long vacation in Florida, in case launches were scrubbed.
1:20 p.m. | NASA officials said during a press conference that weather and lightning would have likely scrubbed Monday's dress rehearsal outside of the technological issues. An official said rain was a concern at the beginning of the launch window, and there was the threat of lightning at the end of the launch window.
The next launch window is Friday, Sept. 2, which is "definitely" in play, an official said, though, the team needs more data to assess.
12:28 p.m. | NASA officials are expected to hold a news conference at 1 p.m. to discuss the mission status. FOX 35 News will stream it live in the above video player.
10:23 a.m. | "While we hoped to see the launch of Artemis I today, the attempt provided valuable data as we test the most powerful rocket in history. Our commitment to the Artemis Program remains firm, and we will return to the moon," said Vice President Kamala Harris, who was in town to watch the Artemis I launch.
8:36 a.m. | Monday's launch of the Artemis I rocket has been scrubbed, according to NASA. The next launch window is Sept. 2, followed by Sept. 5.
From NASA's blog: "The launch director halted today’s Artemis I launch attempt at approximately 8:34 a.m. EDT. The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft remain in a safe and stable configuration. Launch controllers were continuing to evaluate why a bleed test to get the RS-25 engines on the bottom of the core stage to the proper temperature range for liftoff was not successful, and ran out of time in the two-hour launch window. Engineers are continuing to gather additional data."
VIDEO: Family flies from U.K. to Florida to watch Artemis I launch
7:50 a.m. | NASA TV reports that Artemis I launch remains in an "unplanned hold" due to a hydrogen leak in one of the rocket's four engines (Engine 3). The launch director is waiting for an update from the team investigating the leak. Crews were also assessing what "appears to be a crack in the thermal protection system material on one of the flanges on the core stage."
If needed, backup launch dates have been set for Sept. 2 & 5, 2022.
7:46 a.m. | Chief Meteorologist Jayme King says weather is approaching Cape Canaveral, which could also have an impact on the launch timeframe.
7:30 a.m. | The countdown clock has been held at T-40 while crews troubleshoot a reported hydrogen leak.
7:03 a.m. | Max Brewer Bridge is closed to vehicle traffic, according to Titusville Police. Sand Point Park is at capacity. Traffic delays near S. Washington Avenue (U.S. 1).
6:44 a.m. | SR-407 is closed in both directions in Cocoa, near Challenger Memorial Parkway in Cocoa due to a crash, according to Florida Highway Patrol. FDOT recommended people avoid SR 405 and instead, use SR-50. More than 100,000 people are expected to be along the Space Coast for the launch. Traffic was also expected to be congested due to the high interest in the historic launch.
ARTEMIS I - ABOUT THE MISSION
From NASA: Artemis I is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to return humans to the Moon and extend beyond.
- Launch site: Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
- Launch date: Aug. 29, 2022
- Launch window: 8:33 a.m. EDT to 10:33 a.m.
- Mission Duration: 42 days, 3 hours, 20 minutes
- Destination: distant retrograde orbit around the Moon
- Total mission miles: approximately 1.3 million miles (2.1 million kilometers)
- Targeted splashdown site: Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego
- Return speed: Up to 25,000 mph (40,000 kph)
- Splashdown: Oct. 10, 2022