First NASA Artemis Moon Mission Delayed

Engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are blaming the delay on a malfunctioning engine flight controller on one of the space launch system (SLS) core stage engines.

Thom Patterson

Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 06:14 PM ET

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NASA found a problem with a flight controller in engine four of the SLS rocket. [Credit: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's uncrewed Artemis I mission to the moon has been delayed until March 2022 at the earliest.
The postponement is due to a malfunctioning engine flight controller on one of the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage engines, which failed to power up consistently during testing.
Artemis I is a critical step in NASA's broader Artemis program, which aims to return humans, including the first woman and person of color, to the moon and establish long-term lunar exploration for future missions to Mars.

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The launch of Artemis I, NASA’s historic next mission to the moon, has been pushed back to March 2022 at the earliest.

Engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are blaming the delay on a malfunctioning engine flight controller on one of the space launch system (SLS) core stage engines. Each of the controllers acts as a kind of “brain” that communicates with SLS to precisely control the engine and provide diagnostic data.

SLS, the world’s most powerful rocket, is designed to send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the moon in a single mission.