Artemis I launch pushed back a third time (includes video story)

After a scrubbed launch early last week, the postponed Artemis I launch for Saturday was again canceled after team members found a liquid hydrogen leak. The mission, meant to return humans to the moon and eventually sending astronauts to Mars, was rescheduled for September or October to ensure the mission’s success.

“We do not launch until we think it’s right and these teams have labored over that and that is the conclusion that they came to,” said Bill Nelson, NASA’s administrator. “So, I look at this as a part of our space program of which safety is at the top of the list.”

Artemis I is the first part of a NASA space exploration program meant to create a base on the moon in 2024 or 2025 that would gather knowledge to plan future crewed missions to Mars.

“The purpose of going back to the moon is to learn to live, to work, to develop, to innovate, to survive in that hostile environment as we prepare the new technologies to take a human crew to Mars,” said Nelson.

Juliana Narvaez is a junior majoring in journalism and English literature with a minor in psychology. After her studies, she wishes to pursue a writing career with a focus on mental health and victimization advocacy.