Nasa’s Artemis 1 Moon rocket launch has been postponed due to a problem with one of the engines.
The rocket had been due to take off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, during a two-hour window after 1.33pm BST, but was called off by the launch director moments before.
The space agency said: “Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson has called a scrub of the attempt of the launch of Artemis 1.
“The issue that came up was an engine bleed which couldn’t be remedied but the rocket is currently in a stable configuration.
“It was mostly tanked but not completely tanked.
“Engineers are now working on a plan to continue gathering data about this particular engine and the bleed that didn’t work out.”
The launch of #Artemis I is no longer happening today as teams work through an issue with an engine bleed. Teams will continue to gather data, and we will keep you posted on the timing of the next launch attempt. https://t.co/tQ0lp6Ruhv pic.twitter.com/u6Uiim2mom
— NASA (@NASA) August 29, 2022
Nasa added that the first opportunity for the next launch attempt will be September 2 depending on how the engine bleed develops.
The unmanned flight marks the next chapter in putting humans back on the Moon, and is the first in Nasa’s Artemis programme.
There will be astronauts on board for subsequent missions, with the first crewed flight into space scheduled for 2024.
Nasa expects the first Artemis astronauts to land on the Moon in 2025.
