NASA’s second failed attempt at Artemis I mission launch disappoints Daytona beachgoers

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES — Several people arrived at the beach early Saturday hoping to watch NASA launch its Artemis I mission to the moon.

By 11 a.m., residents and visitors had set up their tents and chairs and were enjoying the first day of Labor Day weekend.

But, as was the case on Monday, the space agency again postponed the event, leaving some beachgoers disappointed.

“It’s kind of sad that we don’t get to see the launch,” said Kat Goins, who came to town from Georgia with friends for the holiday weekend. “It would have been really cool. But it’s OK – we still have the beach.”

Holiday weekend: With Artemis launch, Labor Day holiday, crowds expected to pour into Daytona Beach

Unemployment: Heading into Labor Day, unemployment still dropping in Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns counties

Artemis I is NASA's first mission on its path back to the moon. The unmanned mission, which was supposed to launch from the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, hopes to pave the way for astronauts to fly a similar profile on Artemis II no earlier than 2024. Then, Artemis III sometime after 2025 would put two astronauts back on the lunar surface after a more-than-50-year hiatus.

More on Artemis I: Hardware issues force NASA to scrub Artemis I's first launch attempt at KSC

“Obviously we were looking forward to see it, because it’s not something you see every day,” said Jaden Fraser of Georgia. “There are probably reasons (why NASA postponed the launch), so I’m glad they are taking the precautions they need to take.”

According to a tweet from NASA, “(Artemis I) teams attempted to fix an issue related to a leak in the hardware transferring fuel into the rocket, but were unsuccessful.”

Fraser said that it would have been a special to see the launch because “it’s something so out of the ordinary.”

“I have never seen (a launch) before,” she said. “The idea that we’re sending something into space again, it’s never not cool.”

'There will be others, but it’s a bummer'

While the Georgia residents considered the launch a bonus to their weekend holiday schedule, others who had come to see the rocket were especially disappointed.

Joanna and Andy Pallito have just recently moved to the area from Vermont and were excited to watch a NASA launch for the first time.

“There will be others, but it’s a bummer,” Joanna Pallito said. “But, you know, it’s a matter of doing it safely. If it’s not ready to go, then it’s not ready to go.”

Andy Pallito said that the space agency is “doing a much better job now getting the information about the launches out” and praised NASA’s phone app, where people can follow the latest updates on missions’ statuses.

The couple was with their friend, Tom Sullivan, a Tampa resident and space enthusiast who was especially let down by the news.

“I got here at 7 o’clock this morning,” Sullivan said before he learned about the delay. “I knew there wasn’t going to be anybody around but I’m ready to be here all day.”

Sullivan added that having so many places along Florida's east coast to watch the launches is one the “great things” about these events.

As an enthusiast, however, Sullivan said he thinks the U.S. is “falling behind” in the space exploration scene.

“We’re losing ground to the Chinese, and even the Russians,” he said. “I think we need to put it back in front. We need to do more, because there’s a lot of technology involved in space exploration. We learn a lot, and it helps a lot in so many other ways. The more we do this, the better off we are.”

Joanna Pallito said she hopes the mission is successful in sending American astronauts to moon, something that the country should take pride in.

“It’s hard to feel proud until we’re doing it again like we should be,” she said. “But that’s sort of what is starting to take place.”

She said that she and her husband tried to watch Monday’s attempt from their home in Palm Coast and have been looking forward to the Artemis I launch for a while.

“It’s something we have been anticipating and hanging on to,” she added. “And we’re going to see it. One way or another.”

The next launch window is on Monday, Sept. 5. By early Saturday afternoon, NASA had not announced whether the mission’s team would make a third launch attempt then.

“It gives me hope, and it gives people something to look forward to,” Sullivan said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Artemis I launch: NASA mission's delay disappoints Daytona beachgoers