A fuel leak has delayed NASA’s moon mission, but there’s no cause for alarm.
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket sits on a mobile launcher on September 4 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.After years of mounting anticipation, NASA’s first full-scale moonshot since 1972 finally towered over its Florida launchpad in late August—only to go nowhere due to a persnickety fuel leak.
SLS uses hydrogen as a propellant, storing it in a super-chilled liquid form, below minus 423°F. While engineers were cooling the fuel lines down to that temperature, they accidentally raised the pressure. Later, as engineers began filling up the rocket’s fuel tanks in preparation for the launch, they noticed a leak in one fuel line where it met the rocket. Whether the two issues are related isn’t yet known.
, an aerospace analyst at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.Once the engineers finish their retests, NASA can’t instantly try to launch again. To complete its mission, Artemis 1 needs the moon to be in a proper place in its orbit around Earth. That opportunity has passed by, and the next launch windowThose dates are not arbitrary. Even though Artemis 1 is high-profile, it has to share support systems with other missions.
If NASA does need to return to the VAB, the September window might become trickier to hit. The next window won’t start until later in October. In that case, NASA would need to work around aWhat does the future hold?
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