NASA said that it would try again to launch Artemis 1 into space on September 23.
(Web Desk): NASA’s next-generation Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has been fixed in a very important way. Engineers have replaced the leaky seal that caused the agency to cancel its last attempt to launch Artemis 1.
On September 3, a fuel line fitting on the SLS started leaking hydrogen. The Kennedy Space Center ground crew tried to fix the problem three times, but the leak kept happening, so NASA had to cancel the launch attempt.
NASA plans to do a fueling test to make sure that the new gaskets are working as they should. Engineers will try to load the SLS with all 736,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen that it would need for a normal flight during the dry run. NASA hopes to finish this test on September 17 if all goes well.
The agency said, “This demonstration will give engineers a chance to test the new seals under cryogenic, or supercold, conditions similar to those expected on launch day and before the next launch attempt.”
Thursday, NASA said it would try again to launch Artemis 1 into space on September 23, with September 27 as a back-up date. Whether or not it can make those dates depends on a fueling test next week and what the US Space Force decides. Flight rules say that every 20 days, NASA has to test the battery in Artemis 1’s flight termination system.
It can only do that in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center. The Space Force had already given the agency a 20-day deadline extension. Now, NASA has asked for a new one.
