NASA’s Artemis I rocket now has a new official launch date. The new date set for the launch attempt, which has twice been canceled due to fuel leaks, is September 27. For problems that may be encountered, October 2 was planned as a “potential” backup date.
The space agency initially considered retrying the launch as early as the 23rd, but decided on a later date after “carefully considering multiple logistical issues.”
The Artemis I mission will use NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket to launch an uncrewed Orion capsule around the Moon as part of the agency’s effort to get humans back to the lunar surface by 2025. The second attempt on September 3 ended prematurely after the Artemis I crew discovered a hydrogen leak that engineers were unable to repair.
NASA is making some preparations to make sure things run smoothly this time around. The Artemis I team had long finished work on the hydrogen leak, which involved replacing the gaskets around the “quick disconnect” system that helps the freezing liquid hydrogen fuel flow into the rocket. Engineers are planning a trial September 21 to test the operation of the quick disconnect under the cryogenic conditions required by the launch.
It’s also being asked whether NASA should test the batteries in the flight termination system, which the Space Force can use to destroy the rocket if something goes horribly wrong during its flight. To test the system, NASA will need to return the SLS to the Vehicle Assembly Building, a six-and-a-half-mile journey that takes hours. The Space Force will decide whether NASA can continue without testing. NASA has been given an extension that extends the rocket’s certification from 20 days to 25 days, but whether the Space Force will issue another certification is still in the making.
In the NASA post, “NASA continues to respect Eastern Range’s process of reviewing a request for an extension of the agency’s current test requirement for the flight termination system and provides additional information and data as needed. In parallel, the agency will continue to review for cryogenic demonstration testing and possible launch opportunities if the request is approved. He continues with the preparations.”
If all goes well, the NASA rocket will launch in a 70-minute launch window that opens at 11:37 a.m. ET on September 27. The launch date is sandwiched between two other major space events, September 26, when NASA plans to send a spacecraft crashing into an asteroid as part of its Double Asteroid Redirect (DART) mission, and the NASA and SpaceX crews heading to the International Space Station on October 3. .
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