The Nasa Artemis-1 Moon Rocket has completed its fueling test.
NASA’s leak-plagued Artemis moon rocket had problems during a fueling test on Wednesday.
Although Engineers “managed” a new leak in a fitting that stopped a Sept. 3 launch attempt and filled the huge booster with 750,000 gallons of super-cold propellants. They also tested the rocket’s four hydrogen-powered engines and the core stage’s hydrogen tank.
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson wouldn’t say whether NASA would launch on September 27. She wanted her team to examine the test data before drawing any conclusions. “Today’s test gave me hope,” she said.
“I don’t like to get ahead of the data, so I’d like the team to look at it to see if we need to change loading procedures or timelines, or if we’re fine as is,” she said.
The seal that caused the launch delay was replaced, and the same system leaked again Wednesday.
Even if the team chooses September 27 for the rocket’s first flight, that may not be enough. Space Force Eastern Range, which oversees all military and civilian launches from Florida, hasn’t decided what to do about NASA’s request to avoid checking the rocket’s self-destruct batteries.
NASA must move the 332-foot-tall SLS rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center to access the batteries. The launch could be delayed by a month.
Artemis 1 will send an unmanned Orion capsule around the moon and back to prepare for the first piloted Artemis mission in 2024. NASA hopes to land two astronauts near the moon’s south pole in 2025 or 2026. First of many missions.
Hydrogen leaks and other problems have made rocket launch preparations difficult. When it was brought to launch pad 39B on March 17 for a fueling test, the SLS rocket was years behind schedule and billions over budget. This ensured launch readiness. On April 3 and 4, back-to-back scrubs were ordered for many reasons.
On April 14, a hydrogen leak near the core stage fuel line quick-disconnect canceled the third test. The rocket was repaired in the VAB. Early in June, it returned to the launch pad, but a fueling test on June 20 failed. A stuck valve prevented engineers from cooling the rocket’s engines.
The rocket was repaired in July. NASA hoped to launch it in mid-August. Launch attempts on August 29 and September 3 were canceled due to hydrogen problems and a leaking 8-inch quick-disconnect fitting.
After the second delay, NASA officials decided to replace an internal seal on the launch pad, reassemble the hardware, and test the seal. Hydrogen leaks usually appear when the plumbing reaches -423 degrees Fahrenheit.
Last week’s repairs were completed, and the test began on Wednesday. Oxygen and hydrogen slowly filled their core tanks. The loading sequence and flow rates were slowed to make the switch from “slow fill” to “fast fill” mode easier on the hardware.
When flow rate and pressures increased, sensors detected a buildup of gaseous hydrogen around the just-repaired quick-disconnect fitting, indicating a leak. Sensors detected 7% concentrations, well above the safe limit of 4%.
The engineers warmed the fittings before resuming the flow of hydrogen to “reseat” the internal seal. When flow resumed, there was still a leak, but it was below 4%, so engineers could continue. The hydrogen tank was filled with 730,000 gallons.
Contrary to first impressions, sensor data showed that leak rate decreased with pressure. That’s how the fitting is supposed to work, so at least some seal-reseating efforts worked.
After filling the core stage’s hydrogen and oxygen tanks, engineers loaded the SLS rocket’s upper stage and tested the engine.
Another hydrogen leak was reported near a 4-inch cooling test fitting. Even though engineers agreed to use the observed concentration, it would have stopped a launch countdown. Unknown if this problem will affect launch planning.
