‘Large’ hydrogen leak foils NASA’s schedule for Artemis I mission

Photo by Loren Grush / The Verge

The Space Launch System will not be launched in the next few days, according to the agency. A delay of several weeks is expected after two scrubbed launch attempts of the massive rocket.

The launch of the SLS was supposed to take place on August 29th. Engineers noticed an issue with one of the engines and scrubbed the launch. There was a hydrogen leak that Artemis mission manager Michael Sarafin described as "large" in a press conference after the scrub. There was a small hydrogen leak during the attempt on the 29th.

It will be the first launch of NASA's SLS rocket, which has been in development for over a decade. Artemis I is a test flight that will pave the way for future missions which will carry astronauts to the Moon.

NASA expects to have a better idea about Artemis I within a few days. Engineers are focused on the part of the fueling system that helps send liquid hydrogen fuel into the rocket and which can disengage from the rocket after fueling. Soft goods are things that are designed to keep hydrogen from leaking out. There is a proposal to remove and replace soft goods around the quickDisconnect.

The engineering teams are trying to figure out if it will be better to replace the vehicle or if they should stay on the pad. Both approaches have risks and advantages. If NASA stayed on the pad, they would have a better idea of how the system would work during a real launch. NASA needs to build an environmental enclosure to stay at the pad. The VAB would become an environmental enclosure if they went back in. NASA can replace and test the problematic parts inside the VAB, but it can't do it at high temperatures.

If the SLS rolls back into the VAB for repairs, the next launch attempt would most likely happen in October, after a planned crew mission to the International Space Station takes off, according to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. It takes several hours to roll the megarocket back to the VAB.

There's more than one problem. The timer began when the rocket rolled out to the pad. In order to test the batteries in the rocket, NASA had to launch the rocket before it had to be rolled back. The Space Force can destroy a rocket if it goes wrong during a flight. If NASA doesn't get another extension, it will have to return to the VAB.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson said during a press conference that they don't launch until they think it's right Safety is at the top of our list and I look at this as part of our space program.