Topline
NASA was working Saturday morning to troubleshoot a liquid hydrogen leak that was detected during fueling of its Artemis 1 rocket hours ahead of a second attempt to launch the uncrewed vessel into an orbit around the moon.
NASA tried twice Saturday morning to fix a fuel leak on its Artemis 1 rocket, hours ahead of its … [+]
Key Facts
NASA halted fueling for a second time on the rocket just before 9 a.m. Saturday morning after an attempt to reseat a leaking seal failed.
After trying another approach to reseat the seal, fueling resumed around 9:20 a.m. but a NASA spokesperson said it was still leaking.
The leak comes five days after NASA scrubbed its original launch after malfunctions in the rocket’s engine sensor and an “engine bleed that couldn’t be remedied,” NASA spokesperson Derrol Nail said.
Saturday’s launch is scheduled to begin at 2:17 p.m., with a third back-up window on Monday.
U.S. Space Force meteorologists are forecasting a 60% chance of fair conditions at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida during the two-hour launch window on Saturday, with weather conditions improving towards the tail end of the two-hour period.
Key Background
NASA’s ambitious Artemis I mission is expected to take 42 days, traveling 1.3 million miles around the moon, and providing crucial testing ahead of a planned attempt to make the first crewed moon landing in more than 50 years in 2025. NASA aims to put a woman and person of color on the moon and create a “long-term presence” on the moon, which is intended to be a stepping stone toward establishing a community on Mars. Each launch is estimated to cost $4.1 billion, while the rocket is estimated to have cost $20 billion to develop.
Further Reading
NASA’s Artemis I Launch Scrubbed (Forbes)
Artemis 1: Nasa’s moon rocket springs hazardous leak ahead of launch (The Guardian)
Fuel leak disrupts NASA’s 2nd shot at launching moon rocket (Associated Press)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/09/03/engineers-battle-fuel-leak-on-artemis-rocket-ahead-of-launch/