The technical team detects a new leak of liquid hydrogen in the space rocket
Artemis still does not take flight. The second throw attempt of the most ambitious lunar exploration program in the last fifty years has been aborted last minute after the detection of a new technical failure in the rocket. After the failed attempt on Monday, and a week of marathon work to try to solve the engine problems, this Saturday it has been detected a new leak of liquid hydrogen in the space vehicle that has forced the Artemis takeoff to be postponed again.
is the second time launch is aborted of this lunar program. Last Monday, the first takeoff attempt also had to be stopped due to a fuel leak and a series of technical problems detected in the aircraft’s engine. This Saturday, according to the first analyses, it seems that the problem has to do with “a leak in the hardware that transfers fuel to the rocket“. It is not, therefore, the same failure detected on Monday but rather a whole new problem.
The #Artemis I mission to the Moon has been postponed. Teams attempted to fix an issue related to a leak in the hardware transferring fuel into the rocket, but were unsuccessful. Join NASA leaders later today for a news conference. Check for updates: https://t.co/6LVDrA1toy pic.twitter.com/LgXnjCy40u
— NASA (@NASA) September 3, 2022
Possible release date
The launch of this lunar program has been postponed, but not completely annulled. There are still more launch opportunities. But it all depends on how serious the leak detected this Saturday is (and to what extent it compromises the integrity of the mission). The first information indicates that, if the fault is minor, there could be a new launch attempt next week. Probably Monday or Tuesday September 5th or 6th. If the breach is deeper, the rocket may need to be returned to central storage for further study and more structural repairs. In that case, everything points to the launch of Artemis would be postponed until at least mid-October. The available launch windows for those dates would be from October 17 onwards.
“We will take off when everything is ready. Especially if we are talking about a test launch. We’re here to put it to the test and make sure everything is working properly before we put four people on board,” he said. Bill Nelson, NASA administrator, in the first press appearance after the failed launch this Saturday. “All this forms part of the ‘space business‘”, added the spokesman for the space agency after recalling, once again, that there are missions that have taken off on the fifth attempt.
unprecedented technology
The Artemis program, unlike other space missions, try to take off with totally new technology. Among them, the most powerful rocket ever built: the Space Launch System (SLS), a next-generation space vehicle designed both to return to the Moon and for future manned missions to Mars. This spacecraft, almost 100 meters high and weighing several tons, is powered by burning three million liters of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. The vast majority (if not all) of the serious failures detected so far in the rocket have to do with fuel tank leaks of this rocket.
During tanking of the #Artemis I mission, a leak developed in the supply side of the 8-inch quick disconnect while attempting to transfer fuel to the rocket. Attempts to fix it so far have been unsuccessful. Stand by for updates. https://t.co/6LVDrA1toy
— NASA (@NASA) September 3, 2022
Related news
The takeoff of Artemis is quite a challenge. And not only because it will be a “litmus test” for the new Orion rocket and spacecraft. As explained by the scientific team in charge of the project, the great challenge of this first unmanned mission will be to demonstrate the safety of the devices so that, in the future, can be used by astronauts who will step on the moon again.
As soon as it takes off, the Artemis program aims to inaugurate a new generation of space missions. The project aims to take the first female astronauts to the Moon in 2025 and, in turn, to lay the foundations so that one day the earthlings can reach the red planet and beyond. It will also stand out for being the first manned mission with European participation towards the Earth satellite. According to experts, Artemis’ journey to the Moon will open a new era of space exploration. Of course, as soon as you take the flight.