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NASA aims for a Saturday launch of the new Artemis moon rocket

WUSF | By Associated Press
Published August 31, 2022 at 8:12 AM EDT
The NASA moon rocket stands ready at sunrise on Pad 39B before the Artemis 1 mission to orbit the moon at the Kennedy Space Center, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Joel Kowsky/AP
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NASA
The NASA moon rocket stands ready at sunrise on Pad 39B before the Artemis 1 mission to orbit the moon at the Kennedy Space Center, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

NASA will try again Saturday to launch its new moon rocket on a test flight.

The two-hour launch window is set to open at 2:17 p.m., and if successful, it will be the first capsule to fly to the moon since NASA's Apollo program 50 years ago.

The first attempt on Monday was thwarted after a cascade of last-minute problems, including unexplained trouble related to an engine.

Managers said Tuesday that they are changing fueling procedures to deal with the issue.

The 322-foot rocket remains on the pad at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, with an empty crew capsule on top.

The Space Launch System rocket — the most powerful ever built by NASA — will attempt to send the capsule around the moon and back.

No one will be aboard, just three test dummies.

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