The long-awaited launch of the mission Artemis 1 rocket had to be rescheduled for the next few days, just minutes from liftoff, due to an engine cooling problem on the new giant rocket. But this flight is just one of several that have had to be canceled due to various inconveniencesstopping major space programs just as they were scheduled.
The launch of Artemis 1 would mark a milestone in space history as it would be the beginning of one of man’s most ambitious projects: return to the Moon, carry out strenuous research on this satellite and set up a space base in the next five years. But this mission had a fate similar to that of others of great importance in recent years.
Apollo program missions
The first trip of man to the moon in 1969 is one of the greatest merits that humanity has achieved in space matters, but despite the fact that several missions of the Apollo program were successful, many of them were canceled due to a cut in NASA’s budget. This left flights 18, 19 and 20 on the ground despite a considerable head start.
NASA announces the cancellation of the Apollo 18 and Apollo 19 manned lunar landing missions, which had been scheduled for 1973 and 1974. The Apollo 20 manned mission was canceled on January 4 pic.twitter.com/4mVC6y1Sel
— 1972 Live (@50YearsAgoLive) September 2, 2020
The space shuttle program
This program was in force during the same time as the Apollo lunar missions, but unlike the latter, it had many fatal drawbacks that led to its total cancellation in 2011. Although there were some successes, two missions that ended with the lives of several astronauts were enough for NASA to end up leaving this proposal in oblivion, despite the fact that there were already several advances in this regard.
Space Shuttle Endeavor’s last mission (and penultimate of the program) in 2011: during launch, and above the clouds 🚀 pic.twitter.com/G5WQgLTiJT
– Space Frontier (@FronteraSpacial) August 31, 2021
A curious Martian incursion
As in the case of Artemis 1, a rocket that would launch a Mars-bound probe into orbit in 2016 had to be stopped within minutes of launch. Unlike the most recent NASA mission, it was not a problem with the engine, but rather some malfunctions in the flight instruments. Luckily, the takeoff was able to take place in 2018.
Some recent flights
Although they have not had as much global relevance as the previous ones, some rocket launches have had to be postponed due to different complications. An example of this is a rocket from the Astra aerospace line that decided to stay on Earth due to several failed attempts during its takeoff during the first days of August.
A scheduled SpaceX company flight also had to be rescheduled to avoid a collision conflict with the International Space Station.