NASA has canceled the launch of Artemis 1 again, the mission with which the US special agency intends to resume the exploration of our satellite, the Moon. Again, it was a technical failure that prevented them from taking off and it’s no joke, because if the third time is not the charm, they will have to postpone everything for several weeks at least.
As we have already gathered, NASA was forced to cancel the launch of the Artemis mission last Monday, August 29, the date scheduled for takeoff, due to a problem detected in one of the four SLS engines related to the cooling system of these , although its nature has not been fully clarified.
And it has happened again. It was today, Saturday, September 3, when the organization had rescheduled the takeoff, although in the end it could not be, again, due to a technical problem: a fuel leak in the lower part of the rocket that prevented the correct flow of liquid hydrogen. Total, which could not be this time either.
During tanking of the #Artemis I mission, developed a leak 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
“During refueling for the Artemis I mission, a leak occurred on the supply side of the 8-inch quick disconnect while attempting to transfer fuel to the rocket. Attempts to fix it so far have not been successful, “explained NASA through its Twitter account and, after hours, they continue to study the problem and try to find a solution.
The truth is that both failures are closely related to each other, since both affect the correct operation of the rocket motors and the cooling system. The difference this time has been that they have carried out the tests with greater caution and have not damaged any engine. We will have to see if they manage to hit the key, because they are going against the clock.
You can see the whole process in the following video.
will be the next Monday, September 5, when the third and final launch window opens in the current period, a margin of barely an hour and a half that, if not taken advantage of, will cause a considerable delay until it can be tried again. The reason is the weather, which was expected to be the main problem of the mission, although it has not been the case, and that is that the Orion spacecraft needs sunlight to work.
It should be remembered that Artemis 1 is an unmanned mission, so no lives are at risk; but it is a great investment that could be seriously damaged, not to mention the lost opportunity, given that it is NASA’s return to the Moon after half a century.
