Nasa continues repairs to Artemis 1 ahead of rescheduled launch

Author: EIS Release Date: Sep 16, 2022

Nasa says repair work is continuing on the Artemis 1 uncrewed test flight to the moon, with mission control teams preparing for the next launch attempt.

 

Nasa continues repairs to Artemis I ahead of rescheduled launch

 

It says it is preparing for the next launch opportunity as early as Friday, 23 September.

 

NASA update (13 Sep): “The agency will conduct the demonstration test no earlier than Wednesday, Sept. 21, and has updated its request for a launch opportunity Sept. 27, with a potential backup opportunity of Oct. 2 under review.”

 

 

Officials stopped the original Saturday 3 September launch countdown after discovering a hydrogen leak in a quick disconnect, an interface between the hydrogen fuel feed line on the mobile launcher and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

 

 

 

Artemis seals

Nasa reports engineers are “making progress repairing the area”. Specifically, teams have replaced the seals on the Space Launch System rocket’s core stage associated with the leak. A line used to fill and drain liquid hydrogen from the core stage and a bleed line used to redirect some of the propellant during tanking operations were removed and replaced this week.

 

Coming up, says Nasa, technicians will reconnect the umbilical plates and perform inspections before preparing for a tanking demonstration (Saturday 17 September). This will allow engineers to check the new seals under cryogenic conditions as expected on launch day.

 

“Although Artemis I will not have human crew members aboard, senior leadership stressed the importance of thoroughly testing and understanding the systems to ensure the safety of future astronauts who will rely on the SLS, the Orion spacecraft, and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center for later Artemis missions.”

 

“In order to replace the seal on the quick disconnect, technicians have set up a tent-like enclosure around the work area that protects the hardware from the weather and other environmental conditions. After the repair work is completed, teams will test the seal under the same conditions it will experience during launch and evaluate plans for the next launch attempt.”