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The Artemis II rocket is arranged and ready for its eventual liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, subsequent to its departure from NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (exhibited here) on Jan. 17.(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Artemis II won’t commence its journey to the moon this week, following a launch preparation overnight that unveiled a seepage of hydrogen fuel from NASA’s colossal lunar rocket.
The Artemis II mission was charted to convey four space travelers on a 10-day voyage encircling the moon as early as Sunday (Feb. 8). However, NASA is now aiming for March at the earliest for the much-anticipated initiation, representing the space agency’s initial endeavor to restore humans to the moon after more than 50 years.
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“Considering that there have been more than three years separating SLS launches, we completely anticipated encountering hurdles,” penned NASA administrator Jared Isaacman on the social media site X. “That is explicitly why we implement a wet dress rehearsal. These evaluations are structured to uncover snags before the flight, thereby establishing launch day with the greatest potential for success.”
During the course of a wet dress rehearsal, NASA’s team exhibits its aptitude in filling the rocket with in excess of 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of cryogenic propellants — ultra-chilled liquid hydrogen fuel along with liquid oxygen oxidizer. This process is precarious under ideal conditions; however, on this occasion, NASA has faced the additional trial of dealing with an Arctic blast of severe cold weather.
The Arctic blast instigated a delay in the wet dress rehearsal, which was initially scheduled to occur last week, and caused a tardy commencement yesterday on account of a minor hydrogen breach. Engineers remedied this problem by preheating certain components prior to introducing the propellant, according to an announcement released by NASA.
NASA’s crew were in a position to finalize fueling the rocket’s tanks and subsequently initiated a countdown sequence simulating the anticipated launch. Nevertheless, with approximately five minutes left on the clock, the ground launch sequencer (a programmed system for automating commands and governance mechanisms) brought the countdown to a stop on account of a surge in the liquid hydrogen leakage ratio. Subsequently, the test was terminated.
Space.com, Live Science’s affiliated website, has noted that the seepages bear a resemblance to those encountered by Artemis I in 2022. During the prior event, liquid hydrogen was a contributing element and arose at a connection with the tail service mast umbilical, which transports propellant fuel from NASA’s mobile launch structure to the SLS.
IN CONTEXT
IN CONTEXTBen TurnerActing Trending News Editor
The common expression of jest among the spaceflight sector, “blame hydrogen,” has sound basis. The fuel has complicated NASA’s launch operations and precipitated countless cancellations since the era of the space shuttle, the SLS’s precursor upon whose structure its blueprint is based.
As the smallest molecule, hydrogen may effortlessly transit across intact metals via diffusion across atomic formations. Possessing a boiling threshold of minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 253 Celsius, or 20 kelvins), it necessitates preservation at ultra-reduced temperatures that may cause seals to freeze, surpassing specified safety limits. All the same, it persists as the most proficient, clean-combustion propellant, rendering it NASA’s preferred fuel.
Teething issues
The hydrogen discharge was not the exclusive predicament that materialized during NASA’s two-day exercise. Audio communication cutoffs likewise occurred, a freshly substituted valve found on the Orion crew module needed retorquing, and cameras in conjunction with additional implements suffered adverse effects on account of the ambient cold weather, demanding attention on the prospective dispatch day, per NASA.
The space agency made known, regardless, that its crew “persevered through several obstacles” during the undertaking and fulfilled a multitude of their aims. NASA will at present survey the experiment’s data prior to scheduling a subsequent wet dress rehearsal.
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As soon as Artemis II successfully concludes the wet dress rehearsal and simulated launch phase, NASA will conduct a flight-readiness review prior to committing to a launch date. The March windows are comprised of March 6 to 9 and March 11. Provided Artemis II is unable to fly on one of these particular days, the endeavor will face postponement until April. The mission is programmed to commence no later than April 30.
If Artemis II conducts a triumphant voyage in the vicinity of the moon, NASA will have assessed systems and compiled data to prepare for Artemis III, which aspires to deposit humans onto the moon by 2028. Artemis II furthermore signifies the inaugural instance of NASA dispatching a woman coupled with a Black man to the moon.
The Artemis II crew encompasses three NASA astronauts: Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch, as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen.
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Since January 21, the crew has remained in quarantine in Houston. Ahead of a launch, astronauts go into quarantine to ensure that they are not infected by illnesses that could delay their mission. In its most recent statement, NASA communicated that the crew would be released from confinement temporarily, ahead of recommencing said process approximately two weeks ahead of the subsequent targeted dispatch.
“As is always the case, the safety of our astronauts, workforce, systems, and the general public prevails as our foremost concern,” Isaacman posted on X. “We shall only dispatch once we are confident in our degree of readiness to undertake this historic endeavor.”
NASA plans to hold a news conference at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday (Feb. 3) to deliberate on preliminary results gathered from the wet dress rehearsal. You are welcome to stream the news conference on NASA’s YouTube channel, which likewise furnishes a real-time broadcast of Artemis II positioned on the launch platform at the Kennedy Space Center.
TOPICSNASASpace Launch System
Patrick PesterSocial Links NavigationTrending News Writer
Patrick Pester serves as the trending news scribe at Live Science. His contributions are featured across supplementary science online venues, such as BBC Science Focus in conjunction with Scientific American. Patrick transitioned professionally into journalism subsequent to having dedicated the early portion of his professional history to operating in zoological gardens coupled with environmental protection operations. Awarded with the Master’s Excellence Scholarship, he pursued scholastic activities at Cardiff University, completing a master’s certificate in international journalism. Supplementarily, he maintains another master’s credential within biodiversity, evolution, and in-practice preservation courtesy of Middlesex University London. Outside of composing news, Patrick investigates the trade of human relics.
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Artemis 2 mission update: Rollout imminent as NASA prepares first crewed Artemis mission to the moon
Watch NASA roll its historic Artemis II moon rocket to the launch pad this weekend