NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket passed a critical fueling test Wednesday, Sept. 21, keeping it on track for a potentially planned September. 27 departures.
Artemis 1 will send an uncrewed Orion capsule into lunar orbit using a giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. NASA attempted to launch the mission in September. 3 but blocked by one liquid hydrogen propellant leak In a “quick disconnect” in the SLS core stage, an interface that connects the rocket to a fuel line from the mobile launch tower.
Artemis 1 team changed two seals Around the quick disconnect in September. 9 then scheduled a refueling test to see if the fix had worked. This test took place Wednesday on Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, bringing good news for the mission.
Related: NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission: Live updates
Sea: Artemis 1: 10 crazy facts about NASA’s moon mission
“Today we were able to achieve all the goals we set out to achieve,” said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director with the Discovery Ground Systems Program at KSC. day.
This is not to say that everything went perfectly. For example, the leak in the quick disconnect reappeared during liquid-hydrogen charging. However, the team managed to fix the problem; They heated the quick disconnect, allowing it to “reseat”, which reduced the leak rate to acceptable levels.
Artemis 1 personnel noticed a different hydrogen leak during the “pre-pressurization test”, also part of Wednesday’s activities. NASA officials ensured that this test “reduced program risk during the launch day countdown by enabling engineers to calibrate the settings used to condition the engines during terminal counting and verify timelines prior to launch day.” explained in a blog post (opens in new tab) after the test is over.
Agency officials said this second leak was smaller than the other and the Artemis 1 crew managed to keep it under control.
NASA is currently watching September. As a launch target for Artemis 1 with a possible backup date of 27 October. 2. Despite Wednesday’s success, it’s too early to make a formal commitment to any of these dates, Blackwell-Thompson said.
“I think we’ll take the data and see what it tells us,” he said. However, he added, “I am extremely courageous about today’s test and fulfilling all of our goals.”
Other things must follow Artemis 1’s path for the mission to begin in the next two weeks. For example, the weather needs to cooperate, and that’s never certain in Florida’s Space Beach. The mission must also waive certification of the flight termination system (FTS) designed to destroy the SLS if it deviates from course during launch.
this US Space ForceOverseeing the Eastern Range for rocket launches, Artemis 1’s FTS has been approved for 25 days, which has now expired. The mission applied for a waiver; If not, the massive rocket will have to be returned from Pad 39B to KSC’s Vehicle Assembly Building, the only place where recertification can be made.
“At this time, we are still in the process of having technical discussions with Range,” said Tom Whitmeyer, NASA’s assistant director of Joint Reconnaissance Systems Development, at a news conference Monday (September 19th), referring to the exemption. situation. “It’s been very productive and collaborative.”
Artemis 1 received such an FTS exemption, increasing the certificate from 20 days to 25.
If all goes well with Artemis 1, Artemis 2 will launch the astronauts around moon In 2024, Artemis 3 will land boats near the Moon’s south pole in a year or two. this Artemis The program ultimately aims to establish a long-term human presence on and around the Moon and use the knowledge and skills gained in doing so to bring astronauts to Mars in the late 2030s or early 2040s.
Mike Wall”Outside (opens in new tab)” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall (opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or he Facebook (opens in new tab).
