After finding yet another leak in the Artemis I moon rocket during a cryogenic demonstration test Wednesday, NASA experts held a conference Friday to discuss the test results.
Despite the leak, they said that the test was actually quite successful.
“We really got some great data from the test,” said Tom Whitmeyer – deputy associate administrator, Common Exploration Systems Development, NASA Headquarters.
“The vehicle is looking good,” and it is ready for upcoming operations, added John Blevins, SLS chief engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
According to NASA, “engineers were able to troubleshoot the issue and complete the test objectives,” after the hydrogen leak was discovered early in the test process Wednesday. Teams are now fine-tuning procedures in preparation for a Sept. 27 launch date.
Artemis I was initially expected to launch two previous times, but was delayed due to engine issues and a leak.
“Managers waved off two previous launch attempts, one on Aug. 29 due to a faulty temperature sensor, and one on Sept. 3 due to a liquid hydrogen leak at an interface between the rocket and mobile launcher,” NASA said.
Assessing the repair to address the hydrogen leak identified on the previous launch attempt was one of the main objectives of Wednesday’s tests. Other objectives included: loading propellants into the rocket’s tanks using new procedures to transition changes in temperature and pressure more slowly to reduce the likelihood of leaks, conducting the kick-start bleed, and performing a pre-pressurization test.
“The rocket remains in a safe and flight-ready configuration at the launch pad,” NASA said Thursday.
This Artemis I flight test is part of plans to launch NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and send an un-crewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon. Future lunar missions with a crew are also planned.
“Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence, and serving as a steppingstone to send astronauts to Mars,” according to the space agency.
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