The four astronauts heading on a trip around the moon and back will have to wait at least another month before embarking on the 10-day flight. NASA announced issues discovered during a test run of the Artemis II launch prompted the delay to at least March.
During the mission’s wet dress rehearsal – which simulates the launch, including the fueling of the massive SLS rocket – NASA uncovered a number of issues. As teams loaded the rocket with super-cooled liquid hydrogen, sensors discovered a leak.
Hydrogen is an efficient fuel for rockets – but its molecules are so tiny, they can easily escape even the tightest of fittings. That was the case Monday, as the team encountered multiple leak warnings during the rehearsal.
“To me, the big takeaway was we got a chance for the rocket to talk to us, and it did just that,” said NASA’s John Honeycutt, chair of the Artemis II mission management team.
NASA also uncovered an issue with the Orion spacecraft, which will carry the crew to the moon. While no crew was on board Monday, teams practiced preparing the spacecraft for its passengers. A valve that pressurizes the vehicle required additional attention, and it took more time to close the hatch than anticipated.
Additionally, teams identified issues with cameras caused by the cold weather and audio dropouts across communication channels.
But Artemis II launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said during this practice run the team was able to test out new trouble-shooting techniques developed from lessons learned after Artemis I, the SLS rocket’s previous launch attempt in November 2022.
“All in all, a very successful day for us on many fronts,” she said. “Then on many others we got some work we’ve got to go do.”
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center will review the data, and begin working on fixes to the rocket while it remains at its launch pad.
NASA will require another wet dress rehearsal before giving the go ahead to put a crew on board and launch the mission.
“As always, safety remains our top priority, for our astronauts, our workforce, our systems and the public,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in a post on X. He said NASA will only launch when the agency is ready.
The earliest launch window for another attempt is March 6. NASA has additional launch opportunities on March 7, 8, 9 and 11.
The crew of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen were released from quarantine and will remain in Houston, Texas. They’ll re-enter quarantine about 14 days ahead of the next launch attempt and make the trip to the Kennedy Space Center six days before launch.
Artemis II is testing key systems of the Orion spacecraft, like its maneuverability and life support systems, ahead of the planned Artemis III mission that will take humans to the lunar surface. The Artemis II mission will take astronauts farther into deep space than ever before and mark the first time humans have returned to the moon since the final Apollo lunar mission in 1972.
