NASA had just announced a flawless wet dress rehearsal and possible early March liftoff of its long-awaitedArtemis II mission, but all that changed in less than 24 hours.
A closer look at thegiant SLS moon rocketrevealed a new issue – one that will likelyfurther delay the launchand will now require NASA to roll the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building.
An earlySaturday Feb. 21 NASA blog updatereported that overnight data showed an interruption in the flow of helium into theSLS's interim cryogenic propulsion stage.
"We will begin preparations for rollback, and this will take the March launch window out of consideration," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacmanwrote on X. The next launch opportunity opens on April 1.
Skywatching:A total lunar eclipse is happening in March. Here's how to view it.
The announcement came just a day after the four astronauts, who are set to fly around the moon, entered quarantine in Houston in preparation for an early March liftoff. The rocket had just seen what appeared to bea successful wet dress rehearsal test, which included running through launch day operations and fueling the rocket up to T-29 seconds. NASA stated this week's fueling test showed no evidence of leaks, after ahydrogen leakearlier this month caused the prelaunch wet dress test to be repeated.
A similar issue was also observed during preparation for Artemis I.
Advertisement
"Potential faults could include the final filter between the ground and flight vehicle, located on the umbilical, though this seems least likely based on the failure signature," Isaacman wrote on X. "It could also be a failed QD umbilical interface, where similar issues have been observed. It could also be a failed check valve onboard the vehicle, which would be consistent with Artemis I, though corrective actions were taken to minimize reoccurrence on Artemis II."
All of these issues require the rocket to be rolled back to the VAB.
"I understand people are disappointed by this development. That disappointment is felt most by the team at NASA, who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavor," Isaacman wrote. "During the 1960s, when NASA achieved what most thought was impossible, and what has never been repeated since, there were many setbacks. One historic example is that Neil Armstrong spent less than 11 hours in space on Gemini 8 before his mission ended prematurely due to a technical issue. A little over three years later, he became the first man to walk on the Moon."
The last time an SLS rocket flew was during the Nov. 2022 uncrewed Artemis I mission.
The available April launch dates include the 1st through the 6th of the month.
This story has been updated with new information.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her atbedwards@floridatoday.comor on X:@brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NASA's SLS rocket issue could delay Artemis II launch, cause rollback
