AFP

NASA on Saturday scrapped a second attempt to get its new 30-story rocket off the ground and send an uncrewed test capsule toward the Moon after engineers detected a fuel leak.

Millions around the globe and crowds gathered on beaches in Florida had hoped to witness the historic blastoff of the Space Launch System (SLS), but a leak near the base of the rocket was found as ultra-cold liquid hydrogen was pumped in.

“The launch director waived off today’s Artemis I launch,” NASA said in a statement. “Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak… did not fix the issue.”

The latest postponement “was the right decision after you develop this kind of leak,” astronaut Victor Glover told reporters.

“These (are) really incredibly complex machines. When you see a scrub, people should gain confidence, not lose confidence.” 

The initial launch attempt on Monday was also halted after engineers detected a fuel leak and a sensor showed that one of the rocket’s four main engines was too hot.

– Next week? –

Another attempt could take place Monday or Tuesday next week but NASA has to consider data from the latest aborted flight before making a decision.

After Tuesday, the rocket has to be hauled back into its assembly building to undergo tests that are carried out periodically.

The mission management team will meet Saturday afternoon and later hold a news conference.

They need to determine if another attempt can be made soon, said NASA administrator Bill Nelson.

The launch may have to be put off until mid-October because early next month a crew will use the Kennedy Space Center to travel to the International Space Station, Nelson said on NASA’s internal video network.

Early Saturday, launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson had given the go-ahead to start filling the rocket’s tanks with cryogenic fuel.

About three million liters of ultra-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen were due to be pumped into the spacecraft, but the process soon hit problems.

The purpose of the Artemis 1 mission is to verify that the Orion capsule, which sits atop the SLS rocket, is safe to carry astronauts in the future.

Mannequins equipped with sensors are standing in for astronauts on the mission and will record acceleration, vibration and radiation levels.

– Apollo’s twin sister –

It will take several days for the spacecraft to reach the Moon, flying around 60 miles (100 kilometers) at its closest approach.

The capsule will fire its engines to get to a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) of 40,000 miles beyond the Moon, a record for a spacecraft rated to carry humans.

The trip is expected to last around six weeks and one of its main objectives is to test the capsule’s heat shield, which at 16 feet in diameter is the largest ever built.

On its return to Earth’s atmosphere, the heat shield will have to withstand speeds of 25,000 miles per hour and a temperature of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius) — roughly half as hot as the Sun.

Artemis is named after the twin sister of the Greek god Apollo, after whom the first Moon missions were named.

Unlike the Apollo missions, which sent only white men to the Moon between 1969 and 1972, Artemis missions will see the first person of color and the first woman step foot on the lunar surface.

A successful Artemis 1 mission would come as a huge relief to the US space agency, after years of delays and cost overruns.

A government audit estimates the Artemis program’s cost will grow to $93 billion by 2025, with each of its first four missions clocking in at a whopping $4.1 billion per launch.

The next mission, Artemis 2, will take astronauts to the Moon without landing on its surface.

The crew of Artemis 3 is to land on the Moon in 2025 at the earliest, with later missions envisaging a lunar space station and a sustainable presence on the lunar surface.

A crewed trip to the red planet aboard Orion, which would last several years, could be attempted by the end of the 2030s.

The departure of Serena Williams from tennis will leave a void in the sport that may never be completely filled, according to the coach who played a pivotal role in nurturing her talent more than 30 years ago.

The 40-year-old 23-time Grand Slam champion bowed out of the US Open on Friday in what is widely expected to be the final singles tournament of her 27-year professional career.

For Rick Macci, the Florida-based coaching guru who oversaw the development of Williams and sister Venus in the early 1990s, Williams leaves a legacy that will never be beaten.

In the end, Serena fell just short of matching Margaret Court’s all-time mark of 24 Grand Slam titles.

But for Macci, the totality of his former protege’s achievements, on and off the court, represents a more fundamental and lasting legacy than a mere tally of titles won.

“She’s the greatest female tennis player ever to hold a racquet, and the greatest female athlete that we’ve seen,” Macci told AFP.

“I tell other people she should go on Mount Rushmore not just because of the size, the speed, the quickness, the agility, the best serve ever, the ability to dominate you.

“No, she should be on the Mount Rushmore because when you played Serena she literally made everybody ‘rush more’.”

– Checking every box –

Macci believes Williams’ array of technical talents and physical strengths, allied to her remarkable longevity and an indomitable spirit honed by her upbringing in Compton, made her unique.

“You’re never going to see a player like Serena Williams again,” said the 67-year-old. 

“She checks every box – size, speed, quickness, strength, agility. She had muscles on muscles even at aged nine. 

“Technically she hits the ball very clean. We moulded the best serve in the history of tennis. But at the end of the day it’s that Compton street fight. 

“Serena was like a pit bull. When she got a hold of you she wouldn’t let go. And that’s an amazing quality. She has no weaknesses.”

In addition to Williams’ 23 singles Grand Slams — part of an overall haul of 73 titles — she also added 14 doubles titles with sister Venus and four Olympic gold medals.

Macci, who has also coached world number ones Andy Roddick, Jennifer Capriati and Maria Sharapova in a Hall-of-Fame career, believes Williams could easily have won more titles.

“She didn’t play all the Grand Slams. She was injured. She had a child. She could have had 30 Grand Slams. 

“But it’s not even about the numbers. They just kind of mesmerize you when you hear them all. She could do it all. She’s the mentally strongest female athlete that we’ve ever seen.”

– Doubles encore? –

Williams departs the stage at a time when there is no obvious successor in the women’s game. Macci said the shock retirement of Australia’s Ashleigh Barty, and the inconsistent form of Naomi Osaka, reflected a sport in a state of flux.

“There will be a little bit of a void,” Macci said. “It will take time to create rivalries, and that’s why women’s tennis right now is very fluid. 

“For someone to be the face and dominate like Serena — you’re never going to see that again. 

“Forget the numbers, the numbers are off the charts. And that’s one thing. But you’re never going to see someone who has influenced so many people around the world.”

Macci does believe, however, there is a strong chance Williams will continue to grace the doubles court alongside sister Venus. 

“I could see her and Venus playing doubles two or three years,” he said. 

“You only cover half the court. They’ve both got good serves. Their return of serve is brutal. I could see them still playing doubles and mixed doubles. Nothing would surprise me.

“I don’t think we’ve heard the last of either of the sisters.”

A renaissance of the Williams sisters doubles partnership would provide a satisfying bookend to their careers for Macci, who first saw the siblings play on a rundown court in Compton 31 years ago. 

“At age nine, Venus and Serena were skipping and holding hands,” he said. 

“And even now in their 40s they’re still skipping and holding hands. Two peas in a pod – like no other.”

NASA on Saturday scrapped a second attempt to get its new 30-story rocket off the ground and send its uncrewed test capsule toward the Moon after engineers detected a fuel leak.

With millions around the globe and hundreds of thousands on nearby beaches waiting for the historic launch of the massive Space Launch System (SLS), a leak near the base of the rocket was found as ultra-cold liquid hydrogen was being pumped in.

“The launch director waived off today’s Artemis I launch,” NASA said in a statement. “Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak… did not fix the issue.”

Though the area around the launch site was closed to the public, an estimated 400,000 people had gathered nearby to see — and hear — the most powerful vehicle that NASA has ever launched climb into space.

The initial launch attempt on Monday was also halted after engineers detected a fuel leak and a sensor showed that one of the rocket’s four main engines was too hot.

Early Saturday, launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson had given the go-ahead to start filling the rocket’s tanks with cryogenic fuel.

About three million liters of ultra-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen were due to be pumped into the spacecraft, but the process soon hit problems.

No new date for another try was immediately announced.

After the latest delay, there are backup opportunities on Monday or Tuesday. After that, the next launch window will not be until September 19, due to the Moon’s position.

The purpose of the Artemis 1 mission is to verify that the Orion capsule, which sits atop the SLS rocket, is safe to carry astronauts in the future.

Mannequins equipped with sensors are standing in for astronauts on the mission and will record acceleration, vibration and radiation levels.

– Apollo’s twin sister –

It will take several days for the spacecraft to reach the Moon, flying around 60 miles (100 kilometers) at its closest approach. The capsule will fire its engines to get to a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) of 40,000 miles beyond the Moon, a record for a spacecraft rated to carry humans.

The trip is expected to last around six weeks and one of its main objectives is to test the capsule’s heat shield, which at 16 feet in diameter is the largest ever built.

On its return to Earth’s atmosphere, the heat shield will have to withstand speeds of 25,000 miles per hour and a temperature of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius) — roughly half as hot as the Sun.

Artemis is named after the twin sister of the Greek god Apollo, after whom the first Moon missions were named.

Unlike the Apollo missions, which sent only white men to the Moon between 1969 and 1972, Artemis missions will see the first person of color and the first woman step foot on the lunar surface.

A government audit estimates the Artemis program’s cost will grow to $93 billion by 2025, with each of its first four missions clocking in at a whopping $4.1 billion per launch.

The next mission, Artemis 2, will take astronauts to the Moon without landing on its surface.

The crew of Artemis 3 is to land on the Moon in 2025 at the earliest, with later missions envisaging a lunar space station and a sustainable presence on the lunar surface.

According to NASA chief Bill Nelson, a crewed trip to the red planet aboard Orion, which would last several years, could be attempted by the end of the 2030s.

After technical issues halted its first launch attempt, NASA will try again on Saturday to get its new 30-story rocket off the ground and send its uncrewed test capsule toward the Moon.

If the massive Space Launch System (SLS) lifts off successfully, it will be historic for NASA, marking the first of its Artemis program plotting a return to the Moon, 50 years after the final Apollo mission.

The launch is scheduled for 2:17 pm (1817 GMT) from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a possible two-hour delay.

“Our team is ready,” said Jeremy Parsons, deputy manager of exploration ground systems at Kennedy Space Center, on Friday.

“They are getting better with every attempt and actually performed superbly during launch countdown number one… I think if the conditions with weather and the hardware align, we’ll absolutely go.”

Though the area around the launch site will be closed to the public, 400,000 people are expected to gather on beaches nearby to see — and hear — the most powerful vehicle that NASA has ever launched climb into space.

NASA’s initial launch attempt on Monday was halted after engineers detected a fuel leak and a sensor showed that one of the rocket’s four main engines was too hot.

Both issues have since been resolved, the launch team said.

Shortly before 06:00 am (1000 GMT), launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson gave the go-ahead to start filling the rocket’s tanks with cryogenic fuel.

About three million liters of ultra-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen is expected to be pumped into the spacecraft.

And the weather appears to be cooperating: the US Space Force predicts a 60 percent chance of favorable weather at the scheduled liftoff time, growing to 80 percent later in the launch window.

If something requires NASA to stand down again on Saturday, there are backup opportunities on Monday or Tuesday. After that, the next launch window will not be until September 19, due to the Moon’s position.

The purpose of the Artemis 1 mission is to verify that the Orion capsule, which sits atop the SLS rocket, is safe to carry astronauts in the future.

Mannequins equipped with sensors are standing in for astronauts on the mission and will record acceleration, vibration and radiation levels.

– Apollo’s twin sister –

It will take several days for the spacecraft to reach the Moon, flying around 60 miles (100 kilometers) at its closest approach. The capsule will fire its engines to get to a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) of 40,000 miles beyond the Moon, a record for a spacecraft rated to carry humans.

The trip is expected to last around six weeks and one of its main objectives is to test the capsule’s heat shield, which at 16 feet in diameter is the largest ever built.

On its return to Earth’s atmosphere, the heat shield will have to withstand speeds of 25,000 miles per hour and a temperature of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius) — roughly half as hot as the Sun.

Artemis is named after the twin sister of the Greek god Apollo, after whom the first Moon missions were named.

Unlike the Apollo missions, which sent only white men to the Moon between 1969 and 1972, Artemis missions will see the first person of color and the first woman step foot on the lunar surface.

Fittingly, NASA’s first woman launch director, Blackwell-Thompson, will give the final “go” for liftoff on Saturday.

A successful Artemis 1 mission will come as a huge relief to the US space agency, after years of delays and cost overruns.

A government audit estimates the program’s cost will grow to $93 billion by 2025, with each of its first four missions clocking in at a whopping $4.1 billion per launch.

The next mission, Artemis 2, will take astronauts to the Moon without landing on its surface.

The crew of Artemis 3 is to land on the Moon in 2025 at the earliest, with later missions envisaging a lunar space station and a sustainable presence on the lunar surface.

According to NASA chief Bill Nelson, a crewed trip to the red planet aboard Orion, which would last several years, could be attempted by the end of the 2030s.

After technical issues halted its first launch attempt, NASA will try again on Saturday to get its new 30-story rocket off the ground and send its unmanned test capsule towards the Moon.

If the massive Space Launch System (SLS) lifts off successfully, it will not only be awe-inspiring but also historic for NASA, marking the first of its Artemis program plotting a return to the Moon, fifty years after the final Apollo mission.

The launch is scheduled for 2:17 pm local time (1817 GMT) from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a possible two-hour delay if necessary.

“Our team is ready,” said Jeremy Parsons, deputy manager of exploration ground systems at Kennedy Space Center, on Friday.

“They are getting better with every attempt and actually performed superbly during launch countdown number one… I think if the conditions with weather and the hardware align, we’ll absolutely go.”

Though the area around the launch site will be closed to the public, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather on beaches nearby to see — and hear — the most powerful vehicle that NASA has ever launched climb into space.

NASA’s initial launch attempt on Monday was halted after engineers detected a fuel leak and a sensor showed that one of the rocket’s four main engines was too hot.

Both issues have since been resolved, and the weather appears to be cooperating: the US Space Force predicts a 60 percent chance of favorable weather at the scheduled liftoff time, growing to 80 percent later in the launch window.

If something requires NASA to stand down again on Saturday, there are backup opportunities on Monday or Tuesday. After that, the next launch window will not be until September 19 at the earliest, due to the Moon’s position.

The purpose of the Artemis 1 mission is to verify that the Orion capsule, which sits atop the SLS rocket, is safe to carry astronauts in the future.

Mannequins equipped with sensors are standing in for astronauts on the mission and will record acceleration, vibration and radiation levels.

– Apollo’s twin sister –

It will take several days for the spacecraft to reach the Moon, flying around 60 miles (100 kilometers) at its closest approach. The capsule will fire its engines to get to a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) of 40,000 miles beyond the Moon, a record for a spacecraft rated to carry humans.

The trip is expected to last around six weeks and one of its main objectives is to test the capsule’s heat shield, which at 16 feet in diameter is the largest ever built.

On its return to Earth’s atmosphere, the heat shield will have to withstand speeds of 25,000 miles per hour and a temperature of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius) — roughly half as hot as the Sun.

Artemis is named after the twin sister of the Greek god Apollo, after whom the first Moon missions were named.

Unlike the Apollo missions, which sent only white men to the Moon between 1969 and 1972, Artemis missions will see the first person of color and the first woman step foot on the lunar surface.

Fittingly, NASA’s first woman launch director, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, will give the final “go” for liftoff on Saturday.

A successful Artemis 1 mission will come as a huge relief to the US space agency, after years of delays and cost overruns.

A government audit estimates the program’s cost will grow to $93 billion by 2025, with each of its first four missions clocking in at a whopping $4.1 billion per launch.

The next mission, Artemis 2, will take astronauts to the Moon without landing on its surface.

The crew of Artemis 3 is to land on the Moon in 2025 at the earliest, with later missions envisaging a lunar space station and a sustainable presence on the lunar surface.

According to NASA chief Bill Nelson, a manned trip to the red planet aboard Orion, which would last several years, could be attempted by the end of the 2030s.