The success of Artemis I is not taking off at first

The level of precision with which NASA space missions are planned is sometimes not enough to prevent the launch of a rocket from having to be postponed, as happened this Monday with the

of the Artemis Program.

A hydrogen leak, a crack in the thermal insulation between the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks, and an issue with one of the launch vehicle's four engines have all added to a weather-shortened launch window.

But everything is normal, according to astrophysicist Belén Yu Irureta-Goyena: "That 40% of the missions go well the first time is really impressive."

In the video that accompanies this news, Yu Irureta-Goyena explains the reasons why these space missions can go wrong, either at launch or in later critical stages such as re-entry to Earth or the activation of secondary engines.

Another person who has played down the delay in the launch of

has been the NASA administrator himself, Bill Nelson: “It is a very complicated machine, a very complicated system with many components that have to work.

You can't turn on the machine if it's not ready to take off,” he stated moments after the launch was cancelled.

Nelson has also recalled that he himself suffered four delays on his trip to space aboard the space shuttle

in 1986: "The fifth attempt was flawless."

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