Florida, Sept. 2 (BUS): NASA targeted the launch of its new lunar rocket Saturday, after fixing a fuel leak and working around a bad engine sensor that thwarted the first attempt.
The inaugural flight of the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket — the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built — was delayed late in the countdown on Monday.
Kennedy Space Center clocks are starting to appear again as managers express confidence in their plan and forecasters offer favorable weather odds, the Associated Press reports.
Above the rocket is a crew capsule with three experimental dolls that will fly around the moon and return over the course of six weeks — the first such attempt by NASA since the Apollo program 50 years ago. NASA wants to get rid of the spacecraft before connecting the astronauts to the next flight planned in two years.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he’s more confident going into this second launch attempt, given all the engineers learned from the first attempt.
So is astronaut Jessica Meir, who is on NASA’s shortlist for one of the initial lunar crews.
“We’re all excited about this, but the most important thing is to go when we’re ready and do it right, because the next missions will have humans on board. Maybe me, maybe my friends,” Meir told The Associated Press on Friday.
FKN