Post by : Bianca
Haleem
NASA encountered a hydrogen leak Monday while fueling its new Artemis moon rocket during a critical pre-launch test at Kennedy Space Center. The test, designed to simulate the final countdown for a crewed lunar mission, was halted after excessive hydrogen was detected near the base of the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket.
The fueling process involves loading over 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of super-cold hydrogen and oxygen into the rocket’s tanks and maintaining them for several hours to mimic launch conditions. However, just a few hours into the daylong operation, the leak forced engineers to pause, leaving the core stage only half full.
NASA’s launch team is now employing techniques developed during the first Space Launch System (SLS) test flight in 2022, which was similarly delayed by hydrogen leaks before eventually launching successfully.
The Artemis crew—three Americans and one Canadian—monitored the rehearsal remotely from Houston, where they have been in quarantine for 1.5 weeks ahead of the practice countdown. The all-day test is crucial for determining the launch timeline of the first lunar mission with astronauts in over 50 years.
NASA initially planned for launch as early as Sunday, but the hydrogen issue could push the mission. The rocket must launch by Feb. 11 to remain on schedule, as the extreme cold has already shortened February’s launch window.
The nearly 10-day Artemis mission will carry astronauts around the far side of the moon and back to Earth, testing life support systems and other critical spacecraft functions. Unlike the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, this flight will not involve lunar orbit or landing but sets the stage for future moon missions and a sustainable lunar presence.
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