COCOA BEACH, Fla — History wasn't made Monday as the historic Artemis I launch was scrubbed due to an engine problem. It could be rescheduled for as soon as Friday.
A crowd filled Cocoa Beach with a view of the launch pad. Some of the viewers say they got up at 1:00 a.m. to be there. One couple said they never went to sleep.
Unlike the rocket, it's up in the air if some of the people First Coast News talked to will be able to come back to see Artemis when it finally does launch.
"I'm gonna cry," one woman told First Coast News.
"We're here from the UK so we were just hoping to see the launch, but it's not going to happen," said one man.
As daylight grew, so did the anticipation for the launch, which was set for 8:33 a.m. The crowd started gathering much earlier.
"We're excited," Ginger Ojukwu, sitting with her husband, who worked on the Space Launch System at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and young son, all wearing NASA or Artemis shirts. "We got here early this morning around 3:30 so it's been a long wait but we're excited."
One minute after the world's most powerful rocket was supposed to have shot toward the moon, the launch was scrubbed. They were unable to get one of the rocket's engines to the right temperature and this was after they had dealt with a fuel leak.
"I was ready for the SLS and just to hear it got scrubbed, it was heartbreaking because the last launch was 53 years ago and this is historic," said Elijah Rivera.
For Rivera, who is 14 years old and brought his telescope to the beach, this mission isn't over.
"Next launch we'll be ready," he said.
History wasn't made Monday, but you can bet when it is, Rivera will have his telescope and millions of people will have their eyes on Florida and the stars.
Stay with First Coast News for official word on when the launch is rescheduled. These are the next possibilities:
Friday, Sept. 2, at 12:48 p.m. EDT
Monday, Sept. 5, and 5:12 p.m. EDT