NASA postponed the first image of the Artemis moon with astronauts due to extreme cold at the launch site

NASA has postponed an upcoming trip by astronauts to the moon due to expected near-freezing temperatures at the launch site.

Artemis’ first manned image of the moon is now targeted for February 8 at the earliest, two days later than planned.

NASA was set to conduct a fuel test of the 322-foot (98-meter) lunar rocket on Saturday, but called it off late Thursday due to the expected cold.

A dress rehearsal is now scheduled for Monday, weather permitting. A change that leaves NASA with just three days in February to send four astronauts around the moon and back before slipping into March.

“Any further delay would result in a rescheduling of the day,” NASA said in a statement Friday.

Heaters keep the Orion capsule warm atop the rocket, officials said, and rocket cleaning systems also adapt to the cold.

Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew remain in quarantine in Houston, and their arrival at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is uncertain.

NASA has just a few days each month to launch its first lunar crew in more than half a century. Apollo 17 ended this legendary lunar exploration program in 1972.