NASA called off a critical fueling test of its Artemis 1 moon rocket on Sunday due to safety concerns with ground equipment on the booster's mobile launcher platform.
The Space Launch System (SLS) is a megarocket that is scheduled to be launched on Sunday (April 3) from Pad 39B of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The final stage of a three-day wet dress rehearsal was the fueling test, which was designed to test the launch process for NASA's Artemis 1 mission to the moon later this year.
NASA officials said that a problem on the Artemis 1 rocket's mobile launcher prevented the test from happening. A system that uses fans to keep out harmful gases apparently failed.
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The fans are needed to provide positive pressure to the enclosed areas and keep out hazardous gases.
There were four lightning strikes on Saturday, but they did not hit the SLS rocket. They were diverted by the lightning protection system, which is made up of three tall towers and a network of catenary lines.
NASA will have to weigh the availability of fuel when it comes to testing the SLS rocket, which uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellant.
The Artemis 1 SLS rocket is on top of Pad 39B, which is next to Launch Pad 39A, where the four private astronauts are going to be sent to the International Space Station on Wednesday. The launch of the Ax-1 mission was delayed to make way for the Artemis 1 fueling test.
The Crew-4 mission, which will ferry four more astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA, must launch by April 7 or so to avoid even more delays.
NASA officials said that range and commodity availability will be discussed in the update. There is a press conference on Wednesday. The agency's plan will be discussed.
The Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface by the year 2025. The mission will use NASA's first Space Launch System rocket to launch an uncrewed capsule around the moon and return it to Earth.
If the flight goes well, NASA plans to launch a crewed capsule around the moon in 2023 and the Artemis 3 crewed landing mission later that year.
The Artemis 1 wet dress rehearsal is a crucial step in making sure the SLS rocket is ready for launch. The booster is NASA's most powerful rocket ever and the agency's first moon rocket since the 1960s and 1970s.
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