NASA's Artemis I rocket sits on launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center
NASA has called off its second attempt to launch the debut test flight of the 30-story Artemis moon rocket, which was to orbit the heavenly planet. According to the reports, NASA has cancelled the moon rocket launch for the second time due to a fuel leak. The leak occurred as liquid hydrogen was being pumped into the rocket. No new date for another try was immediately announced.
The team had attempted to fix the fuel leak issue but was “unsuccessful”, NASA said in a statement.
It added, “The Artemis I mission to the Moon has been postponed. Teams attempted to fix an issue related to a leak in the hardware transferring fuel into the rocket but were unsuccessful.”
The leak had developed in the supply side of the quick disconnect while the rocket was being filled for its launch.
“During tanking of the #Artemis I mission, a leak developed in the supply side of the 8-inch quick disconnect while attempting to transfer fuel to the rocket. Attempts to fix it so far have been unsuccessful. Stand by for updates,” NASA said.
Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson and her team tried to plug the leak the way they did the last time. They tried to stop and restart the flow of super-cold liquid hydrogen in hopes of removing the gap around a seal in the supply line.
Blackwell-Thompson finally halted the countdown after three to four hours of futile effort. “We have a scrub for the day,” announced NASA’s launch commentator, Derrol Nail.
The first attempt earlier in the week was also marred by escaping hydrogen, but those leaks were elsewhere on the 322-foot rocket, the most powerful ever built by NASA.
NASA wants to send the crew capsule atop the rocket around the moon, pushing it to the limit before astronauts get on the next flight. If the five-week demo with test dummies succeeds, astronauts could fly around the moon in 2024 and land on it in 2025. People last walked on the moon 50 years ago.
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