08/29/2022

NASA Scrubs Artemis I Launch

An engine problem defied a fast fix

NASA’s Space Launch System, which the space agency hopes will take American astronauts back to the moon, has been in development for more than a decade. Today was to be the first time NASA attempted to launch the multibillion-dollar rocket, the most powerful NASA has ever built.

But the effort encountered a series of problems, beginning with a thunderstorm that delayed the start of fueling and ending with an inability to lower the temperature of one of the rockets four R25 engines. That led to a decision to postpone the launch to a future date. That date could be as soon as Friday, but there has been no official decision announced.

The development of the SLS has been controversial. Several inspector general reports have dinged the project for being over budget and criticized NASA for paying performance bonuses to the prime contractor, Boeing, even though the project is years behind schedule.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.