The Artemis 1 rocket was supposed to launch on August 29, but fate had other plans. As a crowd watched, the countdown stopped, showing the first signs of cancellation of the flight. Due to the heightened possibility of lightning strikes and a leak in the hydrogen fuel line, the launch was officially called off by NASA with the intention of delaying the flight. 

The main goal of the rocket’s mission is to test the equipment used in future flights without the risk of human life onboard. Once the rocket leaves Earth, two thrusters will be detached and will fall into the Atlantic Ocean, while the rest of the rocket will continue into Earth’s orbit. The satellite “Orion” will split off and travel about 280,000 miles beyond earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon, and will remain there for tests and observations of the Moon and deep space. Orion will remain in space for approximately six days, then as it returns to Earth, will perform a close fly-by to the moon, around 60 miles above the Moon’s surface. This will set its trajectory back to Earth, traveling around 25,000 miles per hour (11 kilometers per second), producing temperatures of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius). 

“This is a mission that truly will do what hasn’t been done and learn what isn’t known. It will blaze a trail that people will follow on the next Orion flight, pushing the edges of the envelope to prepare for that mission,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis 1 mission manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 

Vice President Kamala Harris was supposed to deliver a speech after launch, but instead said this to reporters after NASA cancelled the flight: 

“Innovation requires this kind of moment where you test out something that’s never been done and then you regroup and figure out what the next step will Ben to get to the ultimate goal, which for us is going to the moon and showing how humans can live and work on the moon. And again, with the next step being to go to Mars.” 

Jim Free,  a NASA associate administrator addressed whether or not the agency should have done more rehearsals before launch saying, 

“We felt like today was the right thing to do. We’re not going to have all the implications and data today.” 

The Artemis 1 has been rescheduled to launch in October. People can watch the rocket launch live online on NASA’s YouTube channel or visit their website for more news regarding the rocket and launch