NASA finally fully fueled its massive moon rocket on Wednesday, but a hydrogen leak forced the agency to cut short a simulated countdown.
Despite the leak, NASA officials on Monday hailed the test — its fourth attempt — as a success that will put it on a path to launch the Orion spacecraft to the moon later this year as part of its Artemis lunar campaign.
On the second flight, Artemis II, four astronauts would fly in Orion to orbit, but not land on, the moon. A landing by two. But the entire schedule is subject to change, as NASA works out kinks in the rocket, which is more than $1 billion over budget and years behind schedule. The rocket has been derided as the “Senate Launch System” by critics who say it is more suited to creating jobs in key congressional districts than to exploration.
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