NASA aborted its second attempt to launch the Artemis I mission into lunar orbit on Saturday morning. This time, a liquid hydrogen leak appeared as the crew was loading the core stage of the rocket. During a news conference later in the day, Jim Free, an associate administrator at NASA Headquarters, stated that we should not anticipate a third launch attempt before Tuesday.
According to the space agency, the leak occurred "while loading propellant into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket," and "multiple troubleshooting attempts to address the area of the leak by reseating a seal in the quick disconnect where liquid hydrogen is fed to the rocket did not resolve the issue."
The Artemis I mission has now been postponed for the second time. The first launch attempt was set for Monday, but launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson had to abort that effort as well due to a persistent difficulty with an engine bleed test. (This procedure is designed to allow the engines to reach the proper temperature by releasing a little quantity of gasoline.)
Tuesday during a press briefing, Artemis mission manager Mike Serafin stated, "We were unable to get the engines to the required thermal conditions for launch." "Additionally, we encountered an issue with a bent valve on the core stage, and at that time the team decided to cancel the launch attempt for the day."
On Monday or early Tuesday, we will have further information regarding the next launch window for Artemis I...
However, Serafin added that it may occur as late as the end of October and claimed it is not impossible to move the SLS off the pad and back into the Vehicle Assembly Building."As part of this maiden test flight, we are becoming acquainted with the vehicle. We are learning how to control the vehicle, as well as all the necessary skills for flight "Sarafin remarked. "We are currently learning as we go in order to safely launch this spacecraft, so our focus is on comprehending the problem and developing schedule- and risk-sensitive solutions."
Now we wait and see.
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Author: Preston Summers
Tech News CITY // Austin Newsroom
