NASA Sets New Launch Dates For Artemis Rocket To Reach The Moon

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL — Following two failed attempts, NASA will take another stab at reigniting humankind's exploration of space. The historic flight of Artemis I will tentatively take place Sept. 27, with a possible backup date of Oct. 2.

NASA officials scrubbed attempts at launching Artemis I on Aug. 29 and again on Sept. 3 after a hydrogen fuel leak.

This will be the first integrated test of NASA’s multibillion-dollar Artemis 1, space launch system rocket, Orion spacecraft and the ground systems at the Kennedy Space Center.

With the launch of Artemis I, NASA will embark on a mission that hasn't been attempted since the Apollo space program was canceled in 1972.

But before NASA can even dream of repeating astronaut Neil Armstrong's "giant leap for mankind," it has to first get Artemis off the launchpad.

A problem that's even stymied rocket scientists, hydrogen fuel leaks have grounded the multi-million-dollar rocket twice.

• Related: Artemis 1 Launch Postponed For Weeks By Fuel Leak: NASA

This go-around, the space agency will conduct a demonstration test on Sept. 21 before launching Artemis I, an unmanned flight test of the 322-foot tall Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Artemis I will be the first step toward returning astronauts to the Moon after a five-decade absence.

During the Artemis I flight, Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Over the course of its 42-day mission, it will travel 280,000 miles from Earth and 40,000 miles beyond the far side of the Moon, a total distance of 1.3 million miles.

Once the Artemis I successfully takes its maiden voyage, NASA will follow with a series of increasingly complex missions, providing the groundwork for humans to routinely travel to the Moon and beyond.

It's a goal that began with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's first trip to the moon in Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969, and ended on Dec. 14, 1972, with Apollo 17, during which astronauts Jack Schmitt and Gene Cernan were the last humans to step on the lunar surface. In between, eight other astronauts did the moonwalk.

The Apollo space program, considered NASA's greatest achievement, was canceled after the 1972 flight, however, due to political and budgetary roadblocks.

Former U.S. senator and astronaut, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, said this first Artemis flight is critical.

"We're going for twice the amount of time that the European Service Module is rated for," Nelson said during a news briefing. "It's rated for 21 days. We're going for 42 days."

If the mission is successful, preparation will begin for Artemis II, another trip around the moon — this time with astronauts on board. Artemis III, expected to take place in 2025, will see humans land on the Moon for the first time since 1972.

"This is a tremendous turn of history because we're going back to the moon after 50 years — to stay, to learn to work, to create, to develop new technologies and new systems and new spacecraft in order to go to Mars," Nelson said.

Patch will provide more details on the Sept. 27 launch and how readers can watch when NASA releases more details.