UPDATE: NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission launch postponed

NASA’s new moon rocket launch was originally on track to take off today, but was postponed due to an engine bleed.

The space agency said in a Tweet that its teams will continue to gather data and will update on when the next launch attempt will occur.

The launch of #Artemis I is no longer happening today as teams work through an issue with an engine bleed. Teams will continue to gather data, and we will keep you posted on the timing of the next launch attempt. https://t.co/tQ0lp6Ruhv pic.twitter.com/u6Uiim2mom

— NASA (@NASA) August 29, 2022

The rocket is set to send an empty crew capsule into lunar orbit. If the six-week test flight goes well, astronauts could return to the moon in a few years.

Canada is playing a key part. Isabelle Tremblay is with the Canadian Space Agency, which is closely involved in NASA’s Artemis program.

Tremblay says Canadian scientists are at the forefront of studying how a Mars trip could be managed from finding ways to feed astronauts, to looking after their health in deep space.

The next Artemis mission to the moon is expected to carry a Canadian astronaut.