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NASA’s megarocket is standing down from a scheduled test flight to the moon, agency officials announced Monday.
NASA’s uncrewed Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule were slated to launch on a test flight to the moon, but engine troubles thwarted the much-anticipated liftoff.
Engineers detected an issue with one of the fuel lines as the rocket was being loaded with propellant. A liquid hydrogen line used to cool the rocket’s core-stage engines malfunctioned partway through the launch countdown, and the test flight eventually was called off after troubleshooting efforts failed.
A new launch date has not yet been announced. NASA has backup launch opportunities Sept. 2 and 5, but it’s unclear if engineers will be able to pinpoint the problem and fix it in time to make those dates.
