It seems that we will not have to wait until October to witness the third attempted launch of the mission Artemis I: the NASA September 23 and 27 have been set to try their luck again at the launch of the megarocket Space Launch System (SLS) loaded with the Orion capsule, where the next generation of astronauts who will set foot on the Luna. Before that, this uncrewed mission will prove the technology is ready, making a 42-day journey to orbit the Moon and return to Earth.
However, the first two attempts have been unsuccessful: the first, carried out on August 29, was stopped by various problems, including a failure in one of the main engines; the second, which took place on September 3, was canceled due to a fuel leak that, despite the efforts of the engineers, could not be solved.
Despite the fact that in the first hours after the takeoff was aborted, those responsible for NASA pointed out that the new launch would surely take place well into October, finally the US space agency has chosen to advance the takeoff, although permits for it are still lacking. extend the batteries installed in the rocket, even on the launch pad, and not have to return to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to replace them.
“If we fail this mission because we didn’t do everything right, then the cost would be incredibly high,” he assured at the press conference. Jim Freeassociate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development program, who has been with Mike Bolgermanager of the Exploration Ground Systems program, who explained that, at the moment, work is being done to replace ‘in situ’ the seals in the lines that carry liquid hydrogen to the rocket and where a leak was registered in the last attempt.
Still, on September 17, an additional test will be carried out on the fuel tanks to verify that the problems are solved. A kind of less exhaustive wet dress rehearsal in which both the central and upper stages will be filled. If all goes well, the team has two launch windows: September 23 starting at 6:47 AM EST (12:47 PM in Spain) of 80 minutes; and on September 27 at 11:37 AM EST (17:37 PM in Spain) with a duration of 70 minutes.
Those responsible for NASA chose these dates because, among the possible launch windows, the previous ones did not give the engineers time to carry out the pertinent repairs. It is also the case that another mission, DART, in which a spacecraft will hit an asteroid to show that it is possible to divert it from its trajectory, will hit the target on the 26th, so NASA did not want both to coincide.
As for possible later dates, those responsible for the Artemis program have indicated that there is no availability between October 24 and 28 (the range that seemed to have the greatest chance of being chosen), nor on November 20, 21 and 26. . Furthermore, the mission Crew Dragon 5 it will fly to the International Space Station in early October, so it would also be ruled out that week.