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It was unclear whether Boeing and NASA would have to repeat the test, a prospect that could push the debut launch into 2022.
NASA's deep space exploration rocket built by Boeing Saturday cut short a crucial test to advance a years-delayed US government programme to return humans to the moon in the next few years by briefly igniting all four engines of its behemoth core stage for the first time.
The engine test, the last leg of NASA’s nearly year-long “Green Run” test campaign, was a vital step for the space agency and its top SLS contractor Boeing before a debut unmanned launch later this year under NASA’s Artemis programme, the Trump administration’s push to return US astronauts to the moon by 2024.