NASA scrubs launch of new moon rocket after engine problem

NASA scrubs launch of new moon rocket after engine problem

The NASA moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission to orbit the moon stands on Launch Pad 39B after the scheduled morning launch was scrubbed at the Kennedy Space Center, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA has scrubbed the launch of its new moon rocket on a no-crew test flight after a cascade of last-minute problems, including unexplained trouble related to an engine. The next launch attempt won’t be until Friday at the earliest. The 322-foot rocket was set to lift off Monday morning from Florida on its first flight, a mission to propel an empty capsule into orbit around the moon. The shakedown flight will be a big step forward in America’s quest to put astronauts back on the moon for the first time since the end of the Apollo program 50 years ago.

Photo: The NASA moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission to orbit the moon stands on Launch Pad 39B after the scheduled morning launch was scrubbed at the Kennedy Space Center, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)