After two failed launch attempts, NASA will try again on the 27th.
after the Artemis I team detected a hydrogen leak that engineers couldn’t fix.
To ensure things run smoothly this time around, NASA is making some preparations. The Artemis I team has already finished working on the hydrogen leak, which involved replacing the seals around the “quick disconnect” system that helps funnel the freezing cold liquid hydrogen fuel into the rocket. Engineers have a test planned for September 21st to see if the quick disconnect holds up under the cryogenic conditions that the launch requires.
There’s also the question of whether NASA will have to test the batteries in the rocket’s flight termination system, which the Space Force can use to destroy the rocket if something goes disastrously wrong during its flight. Testing the system would require NASA to roll the SLS back into the Vehicle Assembly Building,. It’s ultimately up to the Space Force to decide whether or not NASA can proceed without testing.
“NASA is continuing to respect the Eastern Range’s process for review of the agency’s request for an extension of the current testing requirement for the flight termination system and is providing additional information and data as needed,” NASA writes in the post. “In parallel, the agency is continuing preparations for the cryogenic demonstration test and potential launch opportunities, should the request be approved.
If everything works out, NASA will attempt to launch the rocket on September 27th with a 70-minute launch window opening at 11:37AM ET. The launch date is sandwiched in between two other major space events, with NASA scheduled to send a spacecraft crashing into an asteroid as part of its
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