NASA delays test launch of Orion spacecraft


NASA was scheduled to launch its Orion spacecraft for a test flight on Thursday morning, but a series of delays have forced the launch to be pushed back to Friday.
The Orion launch will be the first test of the spacecraft, which will take humans farther into space than ever before, including to Mars, starting in 2021 (and to Mars in the 2030s). The Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) will be four and a half hours long. It won't carry humans, though — the flight will "check critical systems that can't be fully tested on Earth, including the craft's heat shield and parachutes," NBC News reports.
After an unauthorized boat was located in a restricted area of the rocket range, forcing an initial delay, high ground winds led to another delay. After a third delay, the scientists pushed the mission back to Friday.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
NASA isn't deterred by Thursday's setbacks, though. "We're now on the way to Mars, and that's what's most important," NASA administrator Charles Bolden told NBC News.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
Breakthrough gene-editing treatment saves baby
speed read KJ Muldoon was healed from a rare genetic condition
-
Sea lion proves animals can keep a beat
speed read A sea lion named Ronan beat a group of college students in a rhythmic dance-off, says new study
-
Humans heal much slower than other mammals
Speed Read Slower healing may have been an evolutionary trade-off when we shed fur for sweat glands
-
Novel 'bone collector' caterpillar wears its prey
Speed Read Hawaiian scientists discover a carnivorous caterpillar that decorates its shell with the body parts of dead insects
-
Scientists find hint of alien life on distant world
Speed Read NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected a possible signature of life on planet K2-18b
-
Katy Perry, Gayle King visit space on Bezos rocket
Speed Read Six well-known women went into lower orbit for 11 minutes
-
Scientists map miles of wiring in mouse brain
Speed Read Researchers have created the 'largest and most detailed wiring diagram of a mammalian brain to date,' said Nature
-
Scientists genetically revive extinct 'dire wolves'
Speed Read A 'de-extinction' company has revived the species made popular by HBO's 'Game of Thrones'