Science – NASA cancels ground testing of the lunar rocket system again

Cape Canaveral (dpa) – For the third time, NASA has aborted an unmanned ground test of a new rocket system on the moon.

NASA said there was a problem with a leak in the Cape Canaveral spaceport. Another attempt may be made next week. The tests of the “Artemis” missile system had previously been canceled twice due to various problems.

The Artemis missile system – consisting of a Space Launch System rocket and an Orion capsule – was deployed for testing purposes for the first time in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in mid-March. The next step is the “wet clothes rehearsal”, which has now again been canceled. All processes are trained up to the actual start.

With the “Artemis” mission, American astronauts were supposed to land on the Moon again by 2024, including a woman for the first time. Due to the numerous delays, this is now planned for 2025 at the earliest. Four astronauts will be brought into lunar orbit using the Orion spacecraft, where two of them will then transform into a lander. A kind of space station will also be built on the Moon, also as a basis for a manned flight to Mars – but this will happen only in the distant future.