When it’s ready to fly, NASA’s SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever built and will eventually bring humans back to the moon.

But, on Saturday, NASA’s Artemis program suffered a little setback. It’s not clear yet exactly what went wrong.

What You Need To Know

  • SLS rocket engine shut off one minute into an eight minute test

  • NASA is now working to determine what went wrong

  • The SLS rocket will eventually bring humans back to the moon

  • A test flight is planned for the fall

“Today's @NASA_SLS core stage engine test ended about one minute into the expected eight-minute hot fire. Teams will assess the data from the engine shutdown to determine the next steps.”

According to NASA, the eight minute burn is the same amount of time it will take to send the rocket into space.

"Saturday’s test was an important step forward to ensure that the core stage of the SLS rocket is ready for the Artemis I mission, and to carry crew on future missions,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said. “Although the engines did not fire for the full duration, the team successfully worked through the countdown, ignited the engines, and gained valuable data to inform our path forward.”

And the overall mission is still full speed ahead. NASA plans to launch the SLS for a test flight in the fall.

"We are going to get there," Cliff Lanham, project manager for the mobile launcher​, said earlier this week. "We have a lot of work in front of us. We will encounter a lot of challenges, but right now, we have a plan laid out that gets us there."

Spectrum News reporter Greg Pallone contributed to this report.

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