NASA postpones Artemis I launch: Shaun the Sheep and Snoopy shall blast off to space another day

Almost 50 years since the Apollo missions put the first humans on the moon, NASA calls off Artemis launch on its first mission to the moon due to issues with the engine.

The launch was scheduled to start at 6 pm IST from the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida, US.

NASA took to Twitter minutes before the launch to say

The Artemis I mission would be the first of many in NASA’s efforts to explore the great beyond. Though uncrewed, the mission will serve as a test flight for the crewed missions to follow. 

NASA will demonstrate the capacity of the Space Launch System (SLS), one of the most powerful launching systems ever, as well as the Orion spacecraft. 

The mission will span 42 days, with the spacecraft traveling over 65,000 kilometres to the Moon and back. Three crash-test dummies onboard - Commander Moonikin Campos, Helga and Zohar - will serve as passengers to test radiation, vibrations and stress. 

According to Forbes, the beloved cartoon characters Shaun the Sheep and Snoopy are also onboard the Artemis I mission as two plush figures. 

As part of a collaboration with NASA on Build to Launch: A STEAM Exploration Series, two astronauts called Kate and Kyle will also fly on the Artemis I mission along with two Lego City minifigures Julia and Sebastian.

The subsequent planned Artemis mission in 2024 aims for astronauts to orbit the moon and a 2025 mission for them to land on the moon as well. 

The official NASA livestream of the launch event will host appearances from Jack Black, Keke Palmer and Chris Evans. 

And here’s the onboard playlist the Artemis I crew will be jamming to on their journey to the Moon and back, courtesy, Shaun the Sheep: