CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A fuel leak on Saturday led launch controllers at NASA to scrap their second attempt to send rocket capsule into lunar orbit.
After discussion with the launch team, Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson agreed with the recommendation of “no go” for launch, WFTV reported.
Update 2:01 p.m. EDT Sept. 3: NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said repair work could delay the launch until October, The Associated Press reported.
Mission managers planned to meet later in the day to decide on a course of action, the news organization reported. After Tuesday’s brief window, a two-week launch blackout period kicks in.
“We’ll go when it’s ready,” Nelson said. “We don’t go until then and especially now on a test flight, because we’re going to stress this and test it ... and make sure it’s right before we put four humans up on the top of it.”
"We'll go when it's ready." NASA Administrator @SenBillNelson remarks on the Sept. 3 launch attempt of the #Artemis I flight test to the Moon. Updates are expected from the team as early as 4pm ET (20:00 UTC). https://t.co/dMVnvEQcfC pic.twitter.com/ClBhVRexLs
— NASA (@NASA) September 3, 2022
Original report: The new moon rocket sprang a dangerous fuel leak, The Associated Press reported.
NASA has scrubbed the Artemis launch today. We do not know when they'll attempt another launch. Could be as soon as Monday if the connector is easily fixed. @WFTV pic.twitter.com/z8GoELpqJr
— Nick Papantonis WFTV (@NPapantonisWFTV) September 3, 2022
The first attempt earlier this week was also marred by escaping hydrogen, but those leaks were elsewhere on the 322-foot rocket, the most powerful spacecraft ever built by NASA.
Blackwell-Thompson and her team tried to plug Saturday’s leak the way they did the last time, by stopping and restarting the flow of super-cold liquid hydrogen. That was done in an effort of removing the gap around a seal in the supply line. the AP reported.
However, the leak continued, forcing Blackwell-Thompson to halt the countdown after nearly four hours.
NASA’s original backup date is Monday, but officials have not said if that schedule will be followed, WFTV reported. NASA is expected to provide an update later Saturday.
A 90-minute launch window would open at 5:12 p.m. EDT, The Washington Post reported. If NASA pushes the launch to Tuesday, it would only have a 24-minute window in which to launch. That window would open at 6:57 p.m. EDT, according to the newspaper.
The uncrewed mission will last almost 38 days and take the rocket 40,000 miles beyond the moon, testing the spacecraft’s capabilities including the re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Oct. 11, WFTV reported.
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