The mission to take four astronauts on a trip around the moon and back, previously targeting a launch at the end of 2025, has been delayed until at least April, 2026.
The rocket cleared the launchpad and separated from its booster, surpassing the first attempt. But minutes later, controllers lost contact with the vehicle.
NASA's Artemis 1 rocket, the Space Launch System, reached the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B on Friday. The successor to the Apollo program could one day send humans back to the moon.
Forty mice spent more than a month in orbit to test two approaches to strengthening muscle and bone in microgravity conditions. The results could help people with muscle and bone diseases.
Calling it "the most inspiring thing" he's ever seen, SpaceX's CEO talked up his company's big innovation and plans to fast-track production of the spacecraft. He hopes to fly passengers by next year.
When it was announced in 2007, the prize's organizers said they expected it to be claimed before the original deadline of Dec. 31, 2014. One team raised more than $90 million.