NASA's Artemis 1 moon rocket passed a critical fueling test on Wednesday, which could keep it on track for a planned liftoff.
Artemis 1 will use a giant space launch system rocket to send an uncrewed capsule to the moon. There was a leak of liquid hydrogen propellant at the SLS core stage, an interface linking the rocket with a fuel line from its mobile launch tower.
The Artemis 1 team planned a fueling test to see if the fix worked. Good news for the mission came from the test on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
There are wild facts about the NASA moon mission.
"All of the objectives that we set out to do we were able to accomplish today," Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said in brief remarks after Wednesday's test, which took up most of the day.
That doesn't mean that everything went perfect. During liquid-hydrogen loading the leak at the quickDisconnect popped up again. The team warmed up the quickDisconnect, which allowed it to seat, which reduced the leak rate to acceptable levels.
Wednesday's activities included a hydrogen leak during a pre-pressurization test. NASA officials said that the test enabled engineers to calibrate the settings used for conditioning the engines during the terminal count and to reduce schedule risk on launch day.
The Artemis 1 team was able to keep the leak under control because it was smaller than the other leak.
A possible backup date for Artemis 1 is October 2. Despite Wednesday's success, it's too soon to commit to either of those dates.
She said that they would take the data and look at it. She said she was encouraged by the test and getting through it.
The mission will launch in the next two weeks, but other things have to happen. On Florida's Space Coast, the weather is always unpredictable. The mission needs to get a Waiver on the certification of its flight terminated system, which is designed to destroy the SLS if it strays off course.
The time has come for the U.S. Space Force to certify Artemis 1's FTS. If the mission isn't granted a waiver, the huge rocket will have to be rolled from Pad 39B back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, the only place where it can be re-certified.
NASA's deputy associate administrator for Common Exploration Systems Development said during a press conference on Monday that they are still in the process of talking with the Range. It has been very productive.
The certification was extended from 20 days to 25.
If Artemis 1 goes well, Artemis 2 will launch astronauts around the moon in 2024 and Artemis 3 will put boots down near the moon's south pole in two years. The goal of the Artemis program is to establish a long-term human presence on and around the moon and to use the skills and knowledge gained in doing so to get astronauts to Mars.
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