Hit by leaks, Artemis-1 mission to Moon unlikely to launch anytime soon
Sep 05, 2022
Days after Nasa scrubbed the second launch attempt of the Space Launch System (SLS) on a maiden voyage to the Moon, it is unlikely to happen in the current launch window that closes on Tuesday. The next opportunity to launch will only open in late September and early October.
"Because of the complex orbital mechanics involved in launching to the Moon, we would have had to launch Artemis I by Tuesday, Sept. 6 as part of the current launch period," Nasa had updated. However, the developments indicate it is unlikely to happen.
Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson stressed that safety is the top priority, especially on a test flight like this where everyone wants to verify the rocket's systems "before we put four humans up on the top of it."
Meanwhile, engineers are working to fix the hydrogen leak in a quick disconnect, an interface between the liquid hydrogen fuel feed line and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The second attempt to launch was scrubbed on Saturday after the leak was detected and despite several attempts, engineers failed to fix it.
Hydrogen molecules are exceedingly small - the smallest in existence - and even the tiniest gap or crevice can provide a way out. Nasa's space shuttles, now retired, were plagued by hydrogen leaks. The new moon rocket uses the same type of main engines.
Mission manager Mike Sarafin told journalists it was too early to tell what caused the leak, but it may have been due to inadvertent over-pressurization of the hydrogen line earlier in the morning when someone sent commands to the wrong valve.
"Teams will conduct a schedule assessment to provide additional data that will inform a decision on whether to perform work to replace a seal either at the pad, where it can be tested under cryogenic conditions, or inside the Vehicle Assembly Building," Nasa has said in a blog update.
With the launch window only opening up in late September, the Artemis team will have to roll the rocket and spacecraft back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) before the next launch attempts to reset the system's batteries.
The previous try on Monday at launching the 322-foot Space Launch System rocket, the most powerful ever built by Nasa, was also troubled by hydrogen leaks, though they were smaller. That was on top of leaks detected during countdown drills earlier in the year.
Nasa already has been waiting years to send the crew capsule atop the rocket around the moon. If the six-week demo succeeds, astronauts could fly around the moon in 2024 and land on it in 2025. People last walked on the moon over 50 years ago.
