Fuel Leak Aborts NASA’s Second Attempt to Launch Artemis I Rocket
NASA Scrubbed Another Moon Launch. It May Not Be the Last Time.
Before the first launch attempt of the Artemis I mission last Monday, Wayne Hale, a former program manager of NASA’s space shuttle program, shared a note of caution on Twitter that the day could end up disappointing:
Bill Harwood, a longtime space reporter at CBS News, responded, “I think you’re being optimistic!”
Artemis launch scrubbed again after another leak issue
The launch of the NASA Artemis I rocket was scrubbed for a second time on Saturday after another fuel leak.
Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson finally halted the countdown at 11:17 a.m. EDT after three to four hours of effort.
The team then started to work to de-tank the rocket.
Launch controllers were unable to troubleshoot a hydrogen leak – which was detected at 7:15 a.m. EDT – that reoccurred twice in a cavity between the ground and flight side plates of a quick disconnect.
NASA Postpones Artemis Launch for Second Time After Fuel Leak
NASA was expected to make a second attempt to launch the Artemis I moon rocket on Saturday after they were forced to scrub the initial launch on August 29 due to an engine issue.
However, the planned launch will not now take place on Saturday as a result of a fuel leak.
"The #Artemis I mission to the Moon has been postponed. Teams attempted to fix an issue related to a leak in the hardware transferring fuel into the rocket, but were unsuccessful," NASA's official Twitter account announced.
There is another launch window on Monday.