NASA plans to make another attempt at launching the Artemis 1 Moon mission on Saturday, September 3rd, after it cancelled the launch on August 29th due to engine problems.

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The Space Launch System (SLS) was expected to go on its first test flight and kickstart the Artemis program on Monday. However, engineers at the launch site were unable to cool down one of its RS-25 engines, which exhibited temperatures 40F higher than the other three.

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During a press conference, NASA’s manager of the SLS program, John Honeycutt, said the agency believes the engine issue stemmed from a faulty sensor, given a data analysis that showed propellant was flowing as expected.

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The rocket’s technical team is continuing to review the data and polishing its plan to make the Saturday launch possible. If the launch goes ahead, the team will start the engines' chill down process 30 to 45 minutes earlier in the countdown to ensure they reach the desired temperature of -420F.

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The SLS is scheduled to launch on Saturday between 2:17 to 4:17 PM EDT at the Kennedy Space Center, assuming the weather does not violate restrictions.

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