Even before fueling the SLS rocket, NASA faced challenges duri | Astro Wonders

Even before fueling the SLS rocket, NASA faced challenges during Monday's launch countdown. Offshore storms and lightning delayed fueling of the SLS rocket by nearly an hour, forcing launch controllers to work to catch up for lost time.

With NASA unable to launch today, the agency could try for one of at least two back-up days on which to fly Artemis 1 on its mission to the moon. If the agency solves the Engine No. 3 issue, it could try to launch again Friday (Sept. 2) or Sept. 5, weather permitting. If NASA cannot launch by Sept. 5, its next launch try would likely be in October, mission managers have said. Launch opportunities are limited by the stage of the moon and lighting conditions upon reentry, among other considerations.

"The earliest opportunity, depending on what happens with this engine bleed, would be Sept. 2," Nail said. "However, we will await a determination of what the plan is to go forward."

Artemis 1 will send an uncrewed Orion capsule to lunar orbit and back, on a mission that will take six weeks from liftoff to splashdown. It will be the first flight for the long-delayed SLS and the second for Orion, which made a brief trip to Earth orbit back in 2014. (Orion rode atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket on that uncrewed test flight.)

Artemis 1 will also be the first mission for NASA's Artemis program, which aims to establish a long-term, sustainable human presence on and around the moon. If all goes well with Artemis 1, NASA will be clear to start gearing up for Artemis 2, which will send astronauts on a journey around the moon.

NASA is targeting 2024 for the Artemis 2 liftoff and 2025 or 2026 for Artemis 3, which will land astronauts on the moon for the first time since the final Apollo mission in 1972.

@thewonderofspace