NASA (US space agency) has again canceled the launch of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to the Moon, which was scheduled for this Saturday (3).

New rocket launch date is this Monday (5) – Photo: Reproduction/NASA/ND

In a statement, NASA explained that the cancellation was due to a leak of liquid hydrogen. The agency said that several attempts were made to fix the problem, such as replacing the fence, but failed.

The launch of the Artemis I mission rocket was scheduled to take place this Saturday (3) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA was already working on a new date in case the mission needed to be delayed again. The new scheduled date is next Monday (5).

Last Monday (29) the first cancellation was made after the agency’s technical teams identified a cooling problem in one of the four engines of the superrocket that will carry the Orion capsule into lunar orbit.

Mission

The unmanned flight will mark a series of tests in orbit around the Moon, both in terms of equipment and the Orion capsule, which is expected to carry up to four astronauts on the second phase of the mission, scheduled through 2026.

In addition, the main part of the mission, the European Service Module responsible for, for example, water supply, power, propulsion, temperature control inside the capsule and the result of a partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), will be tested. ).

The mission, which will be flown from Earth here, could last 20 to 40 days and end with a return to Earth diving into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, USA, according to the ESA.

The return flight to the Moon, organized by NASA in partnership with 21 countries, including Brazil, represents a return to the moon 50 years after the last manned flight in 1972 with the Apollo mission.