At 8:35 a.m. EST Monday morning, NASA officially canceled their planned launch of the Artemis 1 Mission. The mission was to be the first major test of the Space Launch System (SLS) which would’ve sent an unmanned Orion capsule around the moon in a major step toward manned missions doing the same.

Many issues contributed to NASA’s ultimate decision, namely a purported fuel leak and issues with an “engine bleed.”

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

While certainly disappointing for the general public, the postponement of the launch is hardly unprecedented. Even without a human crew, there is a great risk to ground personnel as well with a launch, and NASA has learned the hard way that you can’t push aside prominent issues just for the sake of launching. 

NASA pressing a launch date while facing issues with the launch vehicle is one of several major factors that caused the infamous Challenger Disaster in 1986, wherein the lives of seven astronauts were tragically lost.

By figuring out all these problems now, it lessens the inevitable risks that come with launching humans aboard the most powerful rocket ever built.

As for future launch windows, the earliest one is on Friday, Sept. 2. Additional launch windows down the line include Tuesday Sept. 5 and Sept. 19. 

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