By Irene Klotz
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) – NASA has delayed the first launch of its heavy-payload rocket until 2019 and decided against an idea floated by the White House to put astronauts aboard the capsule that is set to fly around the moon, the U.S. space agency said on Friday.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration had hoped to launch the Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket in November 2018. The rocket will send the deep-space Orion capsule on a high lunar orbit.
The launch is part of NASA’s long-term program to use the rocket to get astronauts and equipment to Mars.
In February, at the behest of President Donald Trump’s administration, NASA began to weigh the implications of adding a two-person crew for the trial flight.
The conclusion of the study was to wait until a second flight before adding a crew, NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot said.
The research “really reaffirmed that the baseline plan we have in place was the best way for us to go,” he told reporters on a conference call.
