NASA has aborted its second attempt to launch the 30-story Artemis moon rocket’s first test mission, which was intended to orbit the heavenly planet. The second moon rocket launch has reportedly been postponed by NASA owing to a fuel leak. As liquid hydrogen was being injected into the rocket, a leak developed. No new time for a second attempt was right away announced.
According to a statement from NASA, the team tried to solve the fuel leak problem but was “unsuccessful”.
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.”
During the filling of the rocket for launch, a leak had formed in the supply side of the quick disconnect.
“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.
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. Join NASA leaders later today for a news conference. Check for updates: https://t.co/6LVDrA1toy pic.twitter.com/LgXnjCy40u
— NASA (@NASA) September 3, 2022
Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson and her group made an effort to stop the leak the same manner they had before. In an effort to close the gap around a seal in the supply line, they attempted to halt and resume the flow of extremely cold liquid hydrogen.
After a failed attempt that lasted three to four hours, Blackwell-Thompson eventually stopped the countdown. NASA’s launch commentator Derrol Nail said, “We have a scrub for the day.”
Leaks of hydrogen from the 322-foot rocket, the most powerful NASA has ever built, ruined the first attempt earlier in the week as well.
Before astronauts board the subsequent voyage, NASA aims to complete a full orbit of the moon in the crew capsule atop the rocket. Astronauts could fly around the moon in 2024 and arrive there in 2025 if the five-week test demonstration using test dummies is successful. 50 years have passed since the last lunar landing.
