NASA aborted a crucial Artemis Mission test flight with merely 29 seconds to spare. Read to find out the reason behind the last-minute cancellation.
Artemis Mission test flight aborted
This was the fourth consecutive aborted attempt in the mega moon rocket mission.
The agency revealed a hydrogen leak as the reason behind the cancellation of Artemis 1.
This is one of the last tests the rocket must pass to be cleared for its first flight to the moon. However, NASA is considering this a success as engineers for the first time completed more of their launch objectives beforehand, successfully fuelling the deep-space rocket for the first time.
“I would say that the majority of our objectives were met,” stated Charlie Blackwell-Thompson. Blackwell-Thompson is the launch director for NASA’s Artemis Mission.
“There were maybe small pieces within that one primary objective that we came up a little short on,” he added in the briefing. After all, the previous rehearsals ended before they fuelled the rocket.
Artemis 1 updates:
However, NASA did not clarify the unmet objectives. “We did go through and do a test to verify that [the gaseous nitrogen upgrades] supported all of our needs prior to rollout. We went through all of the flow profiles, verified all of the pressures, and also verified all the timelines with some amount of margin to ensure that our flow rates and our needs could be supported during our wet dress rehearsal,” Blackwell-Thompson.
Additionally, he added that the team would determine if any repairs can be made at the launchpad and whether they need to roll the 322-foot rocket back to its storage facility. SLS is one of the most powerful NASA rockets. With the Artemis Mission, the SLS is aiming to carry the first person of color and woman to the Moon. The mission is also important for establishing a permanent base on the lunar surface.