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NASA banned the press from photographing the launch site of its Space Launch System after it boosted the Artemis I Moon mission into space earlier this week.

According to multiple space reporters, the agency told them they couldn't take pictures of the Artemis 1 launch tower after the liftoff.

Eric Berger, senior space editor at Ars Technica, said that NASA didn't give a reason. According to his sources, the ban was an attempt to save face after the tower was damaged.

Sources say that the Launch Complex 39B tower was damaged during the Artemis I launch. There were leaks and damage that were not supposed to be there.

Damaging Reports

Christian Davenport posted a statement from NASA that seemed to corroborate Berger's sources, but he emphasized that there was no word on damage to the launch pad.

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations license restrictions and photos are not allowed at the moment because of the current state of the configuration, according to a statement given to Davenport. The team is assessing the launch debris around the pad.

NASA doesn't want unauthorized photos of its Space Launch System rocket going out to the public.

NASA says it's fine that some pieces may have fallen off its moon rocket.