NASA’s second attempt to put the Artemis I spacecraft into lunar orbit was abandoned.
This time, the issue was brought on by a liquid hydrogen leak that surfaced as the crew was assembling the rocket’s core stage. At a news conference later in the day, Jim Free, an assistant administrator at NASA Headquarters, warned we shouldn’t plan on the third attempt during the current launch season, which ends on Tuesday.
The leak reportedly happened “during putting the propellant into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket,” according to the space agency. “Numerous troubleshooting attempts to address the leak’s source by reseating a seal at the quick disconnect where liquid hydrogen is supplied into the rocket did not resolve the issue.”
Twice already, the Artemis I mission has been delayed. Due to a persistent problem with a technique known as an engine bleed test, launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson was forced to postpone liftoff attempt No. 1 on Monday as well.
By releasing a little amount of gasoline, this method aims to allow the engines to cool to the correct temperature.
Mike Sarafin, the mission manager for the Artemis spacecraft, stated during a news conference that “we were unable to bring the engines inside the temperature parameters necessary to commit to launching.”
NASA cancels the launch of Artemis 1 once more.
Because one of the rocket’s four engines didn’t appear to be cooling down to the necessary temperature of roughly minus-420 degrees Fahrenheit, the space agency’s initial attempt to launch this rocket on Monday morning had to be canceled.
After investigating the problem and troubleshooting, officials claimed that it was evident the engine was in good shape and that a sensor had given a false measurement of the temperature.
John Honeycutt, the program manager for this rocket at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, said, “We know we had a defective sensor.
Then, on Saturday, when crew members were working to refuel the rocket, they frequently detected a leak of liquid hydrogen. As a result, they were forced to repeatedly cease and resume the fueling process.
NASA made three futile attempts to patch the leak before running so far behind schedule that Blackwell-Thompson eventually called off the launch.
The rocket launch date was set by NASA.
If the SLS rolls back into the VAB for repairs, the next launch attempt would probably take place in mid- to late-October, after a planned crew mission to the International Space Station launches earlier that month, according to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. According to the insider, moving the megarocket back to the VAB takes a lot of time.
In 20 days, NASA had to launch the rocket. The termination mechanism on board the rocket can be activated by the Space Force to destroy it if something goes wrong during launch and flight. A 25-day extension was granted by NASA, but it is almost over. In the absence of further extension from NASA, it must return to the VAB.
