After its first effort failed on Monday, NASA will try to launch the Artemis 1 rocket once again on Saturday, September 3. Due to an unresolved engine leak, the historic launch was delayed.
According to NASA, the launch of the most powerful rocket the world has ever seen is scheduled to resume on Saturday at 2:17 p.m. Eastern time with a two-hour window.
One of the four core-stage engines of the Space Launch System (SLS), according to the agency, did not get the appropriate cooling from a liquid hydrogen fuel line, which is a need before the engine can ignite. NASA, however, said that the engine does not need to be changed.
Officials made it clear on Tuesday that the engine was not physically altered in a way that would have impeded appropriate cooling; rather, they believe a sensor may have malfunctioned.
NASA scrubbed the Artemis I mission at 8:35am ET due to a leaking engine that was not hitting the proper temperature. This was set to be tested in the last dress rehearsal in June but a separate fuel leak cut the event short
NASA intends to launch the most powerful rocket the world has ever seen on a voyage to the moon, and this is how the project will go.
The engine that caused the delay, engine 3, was around 30 to 40 degrees (Fahrenheit) warmer than the other three engines, according to John Honeycutt, manager for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) Program, who made the announcement on Tuesday. The target temperature for all four engines was -420 degrees Fahrenheit.
The measurement did not correspond to what was anticipated based on the physics of the scenario, but Honeycutt stated that “it’s not tremendously rare” for a sensor to be off by 30 to 40 degrees.
It is not possible to replace the sensor in time for the Saturday launch attempt, according to NASA officials. Instead, the crew behind the most recent lunar trip will start its “hydrogen bleed” procedure – in which hydrogen is cycled to cool the engines before launch – around 30 to 45 minutes sooner than the last effort.
Around 7:30am ET, a break in the core stage and a leaky engine were discovered. At minus 40 seconds, NASA quickly stopped the timer.
The weather might also provide a challenge for a Saturday launch.
There is a 60% possibility of a weather violation on Saturday, according to Launch Weather Officer Mark Berger on Tuesday. Over the weekend, the region is expected to have showers and maybe even thunderstorms.
On Launchpad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Artemis I is presently waiting for a second chance together with its Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. East of Orlando, at Cape Canaveral, is where the center is situated.
The targeted two-hour window in the afternoon, according to Berger, should have clear skies since the wind is predicted to be inland and away from the coastal takeoff.
August has been one of the calmest times in Atlantic history, which is unusual for a month that usually produces the most storms and hurricanes. Over the Labor Day weekend, the quiet is expected to break as two meteorological systems off the Atlantic coast, where Artemis 1 is now located, have the potential to intensify into the next big hurricane or tropical storm of the season.
Although models have shown one of the systems, if it were to build strength, may move towards Bermuda and then perhaps the US East Coast, tropical depressions can be difficult to forecast at such an early stage. In the next five days, there is an 80% likelihood that this system will emerge.
A weather system that formed over the Atlantic Ocean has an 80% chance of turning into a tropical storm by Friday
Among the spectators was US Vice President Kamal Harris who provided words of support for NASA and Americans tuning in to the event. She said the scrub allows NASA to ensure it can get the rocket safely launched next time
A sea of disappointed spectators are heading home after the Artemis I mission was scrubbed Monday at 8:35am ET. NASA said there was a leak in engine 5.