The SLS rocket with an Orion capsule, part of the Artemis 1 mission, on ramp 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Merrit Island, Florida, the United States, on September 03, 2022.
Image: EPA
Second cancellation within a week: A new launch attempt for the unmanned moon mission “Artemis” also failed. This is due to a fuel leak.
Dhe US space agency Nasa has also aborted the second attempt to launch an unmanned moon mission. Artemis I launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson canceled the attempt a few hours before the scheduled launch on Saturday, a spokesman said. NASA had previously confirmed a leak in a fuel hose. Several attempts to solve this problem had failed. The start was planned in a two-hour time window from 8:17 p.m. German time.
A first attempt to start “Artemis I” was also aborted last Monday due to a tank leak. In addition, one engine could not be cooled down to the required temperature. In addition to Saturday, NASA also named Monday, September 5th, as other possible start dates. Before a new date is set, however, Nasa technicians must first evaluate all the data and fix the problem.
The unmanned Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is designed to launch an Orion capsule into space. The Orion capsule will then orbit the moon at a distance of around one hundred kilometers. The test flight of the “Artemis” mission, which will last around 40 days, is intended to herald the return to manned flights to the moon. The follow-up mission “Artemis 2” is intended to bring astronauts into a lunar orbit, with “Artemis 3” a moon landing should succeed at the earliest in 2025. Among other things, Germany is making a contribution to the NASA mission with the Orion service and propulsion module, which is mainly built in Germany.