Brevard County

NASA sets new launch date for Artemis I moon rocket

KENEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — There are only a few more days until NASA will try again to launch its new moon rocket.

Watch: TIMELINE: NASA scrubs launch of Artemis I due to technical issues with engine

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for its Artemis I mission are still on the launchpad Wednesday morning. But hopefully not for long.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Launch teams announced Tuesday night that NASA will try again to launch the SLS rocket on Saturday.

The new attempt window is at 2:17 p.m. Saturday during a busy Labor Day weekend.

NASA crews and engineers are still looking over technical issues in engine No. 3 that caused them to scrub Monday’s launch attempt.

Read: Artemis I: 9 things to know about NASA’s mission to return humans to the moon

NASA said a temperature sensor issue was the cause of the scrub, not a hydrogen leak.

Each of the rocket’s four engines has to get to negative 420 degrees Fahrenheit before launch and according to the data, engine No. 3 only reached the mid-300′s.

Watch: Space Coast drivers should expect traffic issues during launch of Artemis I at KSC

NASA’s solution for the next launch attempt will be to start the engine cool down earlier, allowing more time to troubleshoot.

Watch more in the video above.

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Q Mccray

Q McCray, WFTV.com

Q McCray is an award-winning general assignment reporter.