Artemis Moon Mission Launch: NASA Has 2 New Dates For Launch
Artemis Moon Mission Launch: NASA has two new dates for the Artemis Moon mission launch, but there are still many obstacles. The Artemis I mission was postponed last Saturday.
After which now NASA again has two new dates for the next attempt to launch its giant moon rocket on an unmanned mission on September 23 and September 27.
But there are still several things that could stall the Artemis I mission, causing the launch date to be pushed back once again.
Earlier, NASA postponed the launch of the mission on September 3 during the final launch attempt at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
There was a problem related to a leak in the rocket’s fuel transfer hardware was reported. The rocket had a major leak as it was being filled with super-chilled liquid hydrogen.
NASA is trying to work to fix the leaking fuel problem with the rocket, called the Space Launch System, or SLS, while the rocket is still on the pad, NASA officials said in a press conference Thursday.
So NASA wants to repair and fix the rocket, but it is not yet clear how long it will take.
A branch of the US Space Force military still oversees all rocket launches off the east coast of the United States, including NASA’s Florida launch site and the area known as the Eastern Range.
Range officers are tasked with ensuring that there is no danger to people or property from any launch attempt.
The Eastern Range must also approve the rocket’s flight termination system – a system that destroys the rocket mid-flight if it gets out of the way and heads toward populated areas.
The system relies on batteries, which, however, under current regulations, must be recharged at a nearby indoor facility before the new proposed launch dates arrive.
NASA is hoping to get an exemption on this rule, but it is not yet clear when the request will be granted.
If NASA does not approve that waiver, the SLS rocket will have to be taken off the pad and returned to the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building, which could lead to further delays.
At the press conference, Jim Free, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said, “If they decide it’s not the right thing to do, we will clearly support it and we will prepare for our next launch attempt.”
But we’ll still be pressured with tanking testing, he said, referring to tests NASA plans to run to fix hydrogen leaks while the rocket is still on the pad.
The Artemis I flight test is an unmanned mission around the Moon that will pave the way for a crewed flight test and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis.
“Managers called off the first launch attempt on August 29, after launch controllers failed to cool down the four RS-25 engines,” NASA said in an earlier statement.
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During this time, one of these engines had a very high engine temperature.
NASA called off a planned test flight of the Artemis rocket around the Moon after several setbacks, including engine problems, a hydrogen leak, and stormy weather off the coast of Florida.
“The launch of Artemis I is not taking place today as multiple teams are working to address an engine bleed problem,” NASA said in an earlier tweet.
The team will continue to collect data and we will keep you informed about the timing of the next launch attempt.
It is the first mission in NASA’s Artemis lunar program, which is expected to land the agency’s astronauts on the Moon by its third mission in 2025.
NASA plans to fly Orion 60 miles above the Moon’s surface before going into an extended orbit around the Moon.
To return, Orion will use the Moon’s gravity to assist in establishing a trajectory back to Earth’s orbit.
Orion is expected to fall into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, where a team of NASA and Defense Department personnel will recover the capsule.
