DThe US space agency Nasa has also aborted the second attempt to launch an unmanned moon rocket. Nasa spokesman Derrol Nail said it was not possible to close a leak that occurred before the planned lift-off on Saturday. Several attempts to solve this problem during the refueling of “Artemis I” with liquid hydrogen had failed. Around three hours before the start of a possible time window for the start, this was then canceled. At that time, the hydrogen tanks were eleven percent full, it said.
“It’s part of the space business,” said NASA CEO Bill Nelson. “I am very proud of the launch team. You’re doing it right. They’re doing what they’re supposed to do.” Nelson recalled that his own space shuttle mission had been delayed four times. “The fifth attempt was a nearly flawless six-day mission.”
A first attempt to launch “Artemis I” was also aborted last Monday for several reasons. A tank leak had also occurred, and one engine had not been able to be cooled down to the required temperature. In addition to Saturday, NASA also named Monday, September 5th, as other possible start dates. After the unsuccessful start on Saturday, this repeat date was initially not confirmed. NASA announced a press conference on the reasons for the demolition and further action for late Saturday evening German time. More extensive rework and a postponement to mid-October are also possible, said Nelson.
Esa astronaut Alexander Gerst wrote on Twitter that such problems with test starts of complex systems are not surprising. “After the launch attempt is before the launch attempt,” he added. “It’s the right decision. Safety comes first,” wrote the director of the European Space Agency ESA, Josef Aschbacher, also on Twitter.
The unmanned test flight of the “Artemis I” mission, which will last around 40 days, is intended to herald the return to manned flights to the moon. During the mission, NASA wants to launch an “Orion” space capsule with the help of the heavy-duty rocket “Space Launch System” (SLS) from the Cape Canaveral spaceport, then orbit the moon at a distance of around one hundred kilometers and later land again in the Pacific. Among other things, Germany is making a contribution to the NASA mission with the Orion service and propulsion module, which is mainly built in Germany.
The purpose of the “Artemis I” test flight is to be able to send people to Earth’s satellite again in a few years on the “Artemis II” mission. At the earliest, people should land on the moon again in 2025, for the first time also a woman and a non-white person. Problems had already arisen with earlier tests and the original schedule had been delayed.