Artemis I launch updates: launch scrubbed after reoccurring liquid hydrogen leak

The Artemis I launch attempt is still planned for Saturday from 2:17-4:17 p.m. ET, NASA officials said during a press conference Thursday.

"We're comfortable with our risk posture," Artemis mission manager Mike Serafin said. "That said, there's no guarantee that we're going to get off on Saturday, but we're going to try."

If not Saturday, the next launch attempt would be Monday from 5:12 p.m.-6:42 p.m. ET, officials said. Tuesday could also be an option, after which the next earliest launch attempt would be Sept. 19, Serafin said.

Sunday is no longer a backup option because the spacecraft would fly into an eclipse scenario, which would not allow it to get the power it needs from the sun.

If the launch is Saturday, the mission will be 37 days long, with the splashdown on Oct. 11, Serafin said.

-ABC News' Gio Benitez and Meredith Deliso

NASA officials said the Artemis I new launch date that was initially scheduled for Friday had to be moved due to bad weather.

The weather is 60% no go for Friday but looks to be more favorable Saturday.

"Looking forward to Saturday, weather would be a little bit different than what we experienced yesterday," Mark Berger, launch weather officer with the U.S. Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron, said during a media briefing Tuesday. "We will have a fairly strong onshore flow, and so that does favor showers and possibly a few thunderstorms moving in from the coast during the morning and early afternoon hours."

He added, "I'm optimistic that we'll have at least some clear air to work with during the afternoon to count on Saturday."

The window for launch on Saturday kicks off at 2:17 p.m. ET and ends at 4:17 p.m. ET. If need be, the launch can be pushed back to Monday.

If the launch does not occur by Monday, Artemis I will have to roll back to the Vehicle Assembly Building and won’t be able to launch until later in September.

This is because the flight termination batteries, which allow Artemis to be blown up if it veers off course, run low after 25 days.

-ABC News' Gio Benitez and Gina Sunseri

The issue with an engine on Artemis I that led to the launch on Monday being scrubbed may not have been an engine issue at all.

NASA officials said Monday that engine three did not chill down to a temperature of 500 degrees Rankine, or 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which is needed for ignition, compared to the other three engines.

However, John Honeycutt, manager of the Space Launch System Program from Marshall Space Flight Center, said the problem may have actually come from a faulty sensor, rather than the engine not cooling down enough.

"I think we've got enough data to put the story together but we've still got to go put the pieces together," Honeycutt said Tuesday.

NASA officials announced Tuesday that they've moved the launch of Artemis I to Saturday.

Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, told reporters during a media briefing that the mission management team met earlier in the day and agreed on the new date.

"We agreed on what was called option one, which was to operationally change the loading procedure and start our engine chill down earlier," he said.

One of the reasons for the scrub on Monday was because engine three did not cool down enough to the point needed for ignition, he explained yesterday.

"We also agreed to do some work at the pad to address the leak that we saw and we also agreed to move our launch date to Saturday, September the 3rd," Sarafin added. "We are going to reconvene the mission management team on Thursday, September the 1st, to review our flight rationale and our overall readiness."