Two cancellations, in less than a week. The takeoff of NASA’s new mega-rocket to the Moon was again delayed on Saturday, September 3, at the last moment, following technical problems, causing another setback to the launch of the American Artemis program, which should allow humans to return to the Moon. A completely classic situation, according to Jean-François Clervoy, astronaut at the European Space Agency (ESA), who reacts on franceinfo: “It is the very nature of astronautics to solve these anomalies.”
franceinfo: How do we explain this second false start in just a few days?
Jean-Francois Clervoy: It’s always the same problem: the pipe joint is leaking. These are things that we have already seen in the liquid hydrogen filling of rocket tanks like Ariane. My third space flight aboard Discovery, for example, experienced a launch delay for the same problem. For this flight, we had experienced thirteen different launch dates.
It seems incredible that this kind of detail is not planned, for missions prepared years in advance…
For each case, we have written procedures to know how to react. In a space flight, the procedures for managing breakdowns occupy 90% of the mass of procedures: we are used to that. 70% of astronaut training is problem solving. This is the very nature of astronautics. These anomalies are normal because we are by definition doing something new. All spacecraft have experienced this kind of scenario.
When will men tread the moon again?
I would honestly expect between 2026, at best, and 2028 more likely. Moreover, that was the initial project: to land on the Moon in 2028. It was President Trump who, one day, decided that it was too late and who, for no other reason than political, gave as instructions to NASA to accelerate the program with a given target for 2024. But NASA never received the additional resources that go with it. One thing is certain: the Americans will do everything to walk on the Moon before the Chinese, who have announced that they are aiming for 2030.