This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to the New York Times.

Now NASA continues preparations for the launch. On Tuesday, representatives of the agency said at a press conference that they hope to resolve the engine-related issue during this time.

They said the launch would begin at 2:17 on Saturday and would take two hours. However, potentially stormy weather on the Kennedy Space Center launch pad in Florida could put a damper on these plans.

On Monday, during preparations for the launch of the rocket, which is expected to make a test flight without a crew, it was discovered that the liquid hydrogen supply line did not sufficiently cool one of the main stage’s four engines.

Temperature readings could be the result of a sensor error, according to Space Launch System program manager John Honeycutt.

The Space Launch System rocket is a modern analogue of the Saturn V, which brought NASA astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s.

If NASA isn’t able to launch the rocket early next week, the rocket will need to be transported to the assembly and maintenance hangar, as the flight termination system, which contains explosives designed to destroy the rocket if it veers off course, will have to be disabled. tested again.

The Artemis I mission is designed to test the Orion rocket and crew capsule during a 42-day flight, during which Orion will enter lunar orbit and then return to Earth.

As part of the mission NASA He wants to make sure that the Orion ship’s thermal shield can withstand the heat load entering the Earth’s atmosphere at 40,000 km/h.

Photograph: NASA/Ben Smegelsky