US Moon Mission Does Not Take Off Due to Motor Failure

On Monday, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) suspended the launch of the Artemis I mission due to a failure in one of the engines of the SLS rocket that was to take off from the Kennedy Space Center to the Moon.

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This mission was expected to be the return of the United States to the moon after almost 50 years. However, the setbacks began early on, when a storm prevented fuel from being filled on time, and then one of the rocket's engines failed.

"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," NASA informed.

"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," it added.

The Artemis program, which aims to lay the groundwork for a permanent human presence on the Moon, sparked the interest of some 10,000 people who were at Cape Canaveral in Florida waiting for the rocket to launch. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also president of the National Space Council, was present at the Kennedy Space Center.

"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," she said.

“The Artemis program is the beginning of the next era...of providing vision and inspiring innovation in a way that is going to benefit all,” the U.S. Vice President added.