NASA exfoliates because of a fuel leak
NASA’s Artemis I mission, scheduled to launch Monday to send an Orion capsule with three test dummies to the moon and back, has been marred by chronic fuel leaks and engine problems in the final preparation.
The next flight window from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center is Friday if NASA determines the rocket is ready.
“Safety always comes first,” NASA tweeted. “Following today’s attempt to launch #Artemis, the @NASAArtemis teams are working on an issue with engine #3 and expect to release a news recap later today.”
NASA has struggled to fuel rockets with nearly 1 million gallons of hydrogen and oxygen because of highly explosive hydrogen leaks, a problem that also flared up during testing last spring.
The massive Space Launch System rocket will become the agency’s most powerful rocket when it finally takes off. Teams had a two-hour launch window – from 8:33 a.m. to 10:33 a.m. ET – but were chosen not to continue two hours before this window closed.
NASA’s Artemis program is designed to return astronauts to the moon sometime after 2025. This first test mission includes a round trip that will take about 42 days.
50 YEARS AFTER: US takes first step back to moon with launch of Artemis I
NASA: ‘You don’t want to light a candle until it’s ready to go’
The postponement was a disappointment to the thousands of people who had flocked to watch the launch. Vice President Kamala Harris was among the VIP guests in attendance. Launch commentator Derrol Nail said engineers were still analyzing the issues and “we have to wait and see what can happen from their test data” before announcing a new launch date and time. . test flights, especially when handling complex machines like the Artemis1.
“All of that has to work, and you don’t want to light the candle until it’s ready to go,” he said.
NASA announces postponement, no word on next test yet
NASA said rocket launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson halted the launch attempt at around 8:34 a.m. The Orion Space Launch System and spacecraft rocket “remains in a safe and stable configuration,” NASA said in a statement.
Launch controllers are continuing to evaluate why a bleed test to get the engines at the bottom of the core stage to the appropriate temperature range for takeoff failed and they timed out. time because the boot window lasts two hours. Engineers are continuing to collect data.
NASA announces ‘keep out of plan’
NASA tweeted that launch is on hold: “#Artemis I update: Launch is currently on unscheduled pause due to research team resolving issues with main stage #3 engine @NASA_SLS. Comments on the activity continue at http://nasa.gov/ live.”
Fuel leak threatens to force postponement
A fuel leak during takeoff eventually threatened to delay the test launch. NASA repeatedly stopped and started fueling the Space Launch System rocket with nearly 1 million gallons of supercooled hydrogen and oxygen because of a leak. Refueling was delayed by nearly an hour due to thunderstorms near Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
The highly explosive hydrogen leak occurred in the same place that saw the leak during a rehearsal in the spring.
Then, a second hydrogen leak appeared in a valve that caused the problem in June but NASA thinks it has been rectified, officials said.
The most powerful rocket to fly from the ‘Space Coast’ in decades
The NASA Space Launch System rocket is a giant rocket. It’s more powerful than rockets that have flown from Florida’s Space Coast for decades. The orange core stage, flanked by bright white solid rocket boosters, helps make it visually unique. And its height is 322 feet – equivalent to a 30-story building.
At least 100,000 visitors are expected to gather in the areas around the Kennedy Space Center for the mission. In the event of a delay, two fallback opportunities – September 2 at 12:48 pm and September 5 at 5:12 pm EDT – are available.
Contributors: Jamie Groh and Craig Bailey, Florida Today; Related press