NASA to Make Second Attempt to Launch Artemis I Moon Mission This Saturday

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is set to make its second attempt to launch its powerful new Moon rocket this Saturday. The uncrewed mission, which is dubbed Artemis 1, will bring the United States closer to returning astronauts to the Moon after five decades. The blast off was earlier planned for Monday morning but was cancelled later. Prospects for success for the second attempt appeared clouded and weather reports suggest only a 40 percent chance for a succesful take-off.

Days after failing to send its first uncrewed mission to Moon, NASA will take a second attempt at launching the powerful new Moon rocket this Saturday, September 3. The mission, dubbed Artemis 1, was earlier heading to a launch this Monday but was later cancelled after a test to get one of the rocket’s four RS-25 engines to proper temperature range didn’t turn out to be successful.

According to launch weather officer Mark Burger, a 60 percent chance of rain or thunderstorms has been predicted on the day of the launch this Saturday.

NASA’s Artemis 1 aims to test the 322-foot-long Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule that is sitting on top. NASA earlier planned to launch the Artemis I mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As mentioned earlier, this will be an uncrewed mission and mannequins equipped with sensors will stand in for astronauts on the mission.