NASA Moon rocket suffers setback, launch likely to be delayed in March: Officials
listen to this article
approx 2 minutes
The audio version of this article has been generated by AI-based technology. There may be mispronunciations. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results.
NASA’s Amavasya rocket has suffered another setback, putting next month’s planned launch with astronauts in jeopardy, the space agency announced Saturday.
Officials disclosed the latest problem just a day after targeting March 6 for humanity’s first flight to the Moon in more than half a century. He reported that overnight, the flow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage was disrupted. Launch requires a solid helium flow.
NASA said it is reviewing all the data and is preparing to return the Space Launch System rocket to the hangar for repairs at Kennedy Space Center in Florida if necessary.
NASA is preparing for the first manned flight around the Moon in more than 50 years, which could include the first Canadian astronaut to travel that far. The Artemis II mission has been delayed until March. Orbachs, a science communicator from the University of Guelph’s Physics Department, explains the importance of the mission.
It is possible that the work could be done on a launch pad; The space agency said engineers are preparing for both options.
“This will almost certainly impact the March launch window,” the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a statement.
The Artemis II lunar flight had already been delayed by a month due to a hydrogen fuel leak. A second fuel test Thursday revealed hardly any leaks, giving managers confidence to aim for a March liftoff. The four astronauts entered their two-week quarantine Friday night, which was mandatory to avoid exposure to germs.
The disrupted helium flow is restricted to the SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage. This upper stage is necessary to place the Orion crew capsule in the appropriate high altitude orbit around Earth for checkout after liftoff.
After that, it should separate from Orion and serve as a target for the astronauts inside the capsule, allowing them to practice docking techniques for future Moon missions.
During NASA’s Apollo program, 24 astronauts flew to the Moon from 1968 to 1972. The new Artemis program has completed only one flight so far, an uncrewed lunar-orbiting mission in 2022. That first test flight also suffered from hydrogen fuel leaks before exploding. The first landing on the Moon with a crew under Artemis is still at least a few years away.
