Category: Moon Rocket

NASA: Moon Rocket Endured Hurricane, Set for First Test Flight

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—NASA’s moon rocket needs only minor repairs after enduring a hurricane at the pad and is on track for its first test flight next week, a top official said Friday. “Right now, there’s nothing preventing us” from attempting a launch on Wednesday, said NASA’s Jim Free, an associate administrator. The wind never exceeded…


NASA Delays Moon Rocket Launch Due to Potential Hurricane

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—NASA is skipping next week’s launch attempt of its new moon rocket because of a tropical storm that’s expected to become a major hurricane. It’s the third delay in the past month for the lunar-orbiting test flight featuring mannequins but no astronauts, a follow-up to NASA’s Apollo moon-landing program of a half-century ago….


NASA Fixing Moon Rocket Leaks, Hoping for September Launch Try

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—NASA is replacing leaky seals in its moon rocket at the pad in hopes of launching it on its first test flight by the end of this month. Managers said Thursday they will conduct another test after the repairs to ensure all hydrogen fuel leaks are plugged. If that test goes well—and if…


NASA Aims for Saturday Launch of New Moon Rocket After Fixes

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—NASA aimed for a Saturday launch of its new moon rocket, after fixing fuel leaks and working around a bad engine sensor that foiled the first try. The inaugural flight of the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket—the most powerful ever built by NASA—was delayed late in the countdown Monday. The Kennedy Space Center clocks started…


NASA Tests New Moon Rocket, 50 Years After Apollo

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Years late and billions over budget, NASA’s new moon rocket makes its debut next week in a high-stakes test flight before astronauts get on top. The 322-foot rocket (98-meter) will attempt to send an empty crew capsule into a far-flung lunar orbit, 50 years after NASA’s famed Apollo moonshots. If all goes well,…


NASA Aiming for Late August Test Flight of Giant Moon Rocket

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—On the 53rd anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, NASA announced Wednesday it’s shooting for a late August launch of its giant, new moon rocket. NASA will attempt the more than month-long lunar test flight with three mannequins, but no astronauts, as early as Aug. 29. There are also two launch dates…


NASA Fuels Moon Rocket for 1st Time in Rehearsal

NASA fueled its huge moon rocket for the first time Monday and went ahead with a critical countdown test despite a fuel line leak. This was NASA’s fourth crack at the all-important dress rehearsal, the last major milestone before the moon rocket’s long-awaited launch debut. The previous attempts in April were thwarted by a fuel…