NASA postponed its first crewed Artemis moon mission after forecasters warned of near-freezing temperatures at the launch site, a change that shifted the target to no earlier than Feb. 8, two days later than planned, according to the Associated Press.
The delay came after NASA canceled a scheduled fueling test for its 322-foot (98-meter) moon rocket late Thursday, citing the expected cold. NASA had been prepared to run that test on Saturday before the hold.
NASA officials said Monday’s critical dress rehearsal would proceed only if weather conditions permitted it. The postponement also left NASA with a compressed schedule, with only three days in February to launch four astronauts around the moon and back before the calendar moved to March.
In a statement Friday, NASA said, “Any additional delays would result in a day for day change,” as the agency worked to keep the launch timeline as tight as possible. Officials also said heaters would keep the Orion capsule warm atop the rocket during the countdown, and that rocket-purging systems were being adapted to the cold.
NASA has said the commander and crew members for the mission remain in quarantine in Houston. The Associated Press reported that their arrival at Kennedy Space Center in Florida was uncertain under the revised timing.
The agency’s planners face a separate scheduling pressure: NASA also needs to launch a new crew to the International Space Station as soon as possible. That station mission has been accelerated after the last crew returned early for medical reasons, increasing the importance of coordinating both launches.
Mission managers said the moonshot would take priority if it could depart by Feb. 11, which they described as the last possible launch date for the month. If the Artemis crew launches on that schedule, NASA said the next station crew would have to wait until the Artemis astronauts return to Earth before launching later in the month.
Jack Hathaway, an astronaut assigned to the next station crew, described the timing overlap as challenging for everyone involved. He said, “It couldn’t be cooler that they’re in quarantine and we’re in quarantine, and we’re trying to launch two rockets roughly around the same time,” and added, “It’s a pretty exciting time to be part of NASA.”