She was disappointed, but her calendar has been updated. The Artemis 1 mission, which was to take off on Monday August 29 from 2:33 p.m., finally got stuck on launch pad 39b at the Kennedy Space Center. The launch was canceled due to a cooling problem on one of the Space Launch System (SLS) main engines, as well as a hydrogen leak.
Mission leaders met on Tuesday to analyze the data and develop a forward plan to address any issues. “During this launch attempt, the crews were unable to cool all four RS-25 engines to approximately minus 420°F, with Engine 3 showing higher temperatures than the other engines.NASA explained at a press conference. Crews also found a hydrogen leak on a component of the tail service mast umbilical quick disconnect, called the purge box, and managed the leak by manually adjusting propellant flow rates..
New attempt on Saturday September 3 from 6:17 p.m.
The North American space agency has announced that a new launch attempt will take place on Saturday, September 3, with a launch window opening at 6:17 p.m. (French time) for a period of two hours. That said, the long-awaited event is likely to be postponed depending on weather conditions. NASA is still reassuring: “US Space Force Space Launch Delta 45 meteorologists predict favorable weather conditions for Saturday.” She specifies that rain showers are anticipated, but that they should be sporadic during the launch window.
Once again, it will be possible to follow the launch live from NASA’s official YouTube stream. If all goes as planned, hundreds of thousands of curious people will be able to follow and comment on the flight for about 8 minutes.