NASA’s moon rocket has a setback that could delay its March launch: officials
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NASA’s new moon rocket hit another snag on Saturday, almost certainly going to miss astronauts’ first trip to the moon in decades this spring.
The space agency revealed the latest problem just one day after the March 6 launch of the Artemis II mission, the first manned mission to the moon in more than half a century. At night, the flow of helium to the top of the rocket was disrupted, officials said. A steady flow of helium is essential for cleaning engines and pressurizing fuel tanks.
The helium problem has nothing to do with the hydrogen fuel leak that marred the Space Launch System rocket’s countermeasures earlier this month and forced a repeat test.
Jared Isaacman, director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said a bad filter, valve or connection plate can be the cause of helium stagnation. Whatever the cause, he said, the only way to get to the site and fix the problem is in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
“We will begin preparations for the return, and this will remove the window for the launch of March,” said Isaacman on social media platform X. The next NASA opportunity will be in early or late April.
NASA is preparing for the first human flight around the Moon in more than 50 years, which could include the first Canadian astronaut to travel that far. The Artemis II mission was delayed in March. Orbax, a science consultant from the Department of Environment at the University of Guelph, explains the importance of this work.
Earlier this morning, NASA said it was preparing to return the 98-meter rocket to its base for repairs while suggesting that the work may have been done on the pad.
“I understand that people are disappointed by this incident,” said Isaacman. “That disappointment is deeply felt by the NASA team, which has been working tirelessly to prepare for this massive effort.”
A hydrogen fuel leak had delayed the Artemis II lunar mission by a month. A second test of the fuel on Thursday revealed no leaks, giving management confidence to aim for removal by March. The four astronauts went into isolation for two weeks on Friday night, which is mandatory to avoid viruses.
Disturbed helium flow is limited to the transient cryogenic propulsion phase of the SLS rocket. This upper stage is essential for placing the Orion crew capsule in the correct high-altitude orbit around Earth for exit, 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 lunar 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 unmanned lunar orbit mission in 2022. That first test flight also suffered from a hydrogen fuel leak before detonation. The first moon landing with a crew under Artemis is at least a few years away.
