Why did NASA cancel the Artemis I mission for the second time?
NASA canceled the Artemis I mission to the moon for the second time this week after additional problems with hydrogen leaks.
NASA has announced, for the second time this week, that the Artemis I lunar mission will be postponed after the leak around the super-cooled liquid hydrogen propellant couldn’t be resolved.
The agency describes the mission as an “uncrewed flight test around the Moon will pave the way for a crewed flight test and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis.” While NASA has sent crews and spacecraft to the moon, the Artemis missions will use a next-generation rocket, and this is the first time it will be sent into space.
From their Twitter account, NASA announced that the mission had to be scrubbed because of attempts “to fix and issues related to a leak in the hardware transferring fuel into the rocket.”
The #Artemis I mission to the Moon has been postponed. Teams attempted to fix an issue related to a leak in the hardware transferring fuel into the rocket, but were unsuccessful. Join NASA leaders later today for a news conference. Check for updates: https://t.co/6LVDrA1toy pic.twitter.com/LgXnjCy40u
— NASA (@NASA) September 3, 2022
Once the ship is ready for liftoff, the uncrewed flight will test the Orion astronaut capsule, the 98-meter tall Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will take off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida ahead of a projected crewed mission to the Moon in 2025.
When will the Artemis I launch be rescheduled?
NASA has yet to announce another date for the launch, and it could be a few days considering that it appears that the issues may be more substantive than technicians initially thought.
Leaders from the US space agency will address the issues during a press conference later today, which can be followed through the video below.