The NASA control center is managing the countdown to tonight at 8:17 p.m. and teams are focused on avoiding the hundreds of technical details that could jeopardize the launch. the Space Launch System (SLS) will he succeed in rising in the sky of Florida?
Addition of September 3 at 6:45 p.m.: NASA postponed the liftoff again due to another fuel leak.
We take the same and start again
On August 29, the control center had to resolve to stop its attempt for the takeoff of the Artemis I mission. Too many uncertainties, with in particular the temperature indications of engine number 3 of the main stage which remained too high… But the countdown itself had not been easy, with a suspicion of a hydrogen leak and an excessively cold “spot” on an interstage structure which also suggested that super-cooled propellants were s escaped.
Fortunately, as soon as the tanks were empty on Monday evening, the many specialists were able to intervene on the launcher. It is the sensor which is in question on engine number 3 (its values, all parameters taken into account, were therefore erroneous), while technicians and engineers were able to check the other sources of concern. On Wednesday August 31, NASA announced that all the lights were green for a new attempt. The latter could take place on September 3, with the shooting window opening at 8:17 p.m.
Tick tock, tick tock…
The countdown lasts about 48 hours, most of it has already passed at the time of publishing this article. But it is obviously the last moments that are the most important.
At T-8:40 a.m., the control center cleared the lines to cool and the tanks to fill, an important indicator of confidence for today’s attempt.
Star alignment
Of course, there are still hundreds of parameters that the rocket must reach (and not exceed) for the countdown to enter its last minutes… Not to mention the weather, which is not announced as being extraordinary (60% of positive probabilities) at the start of the two-hour shooting window. Even seemingly insignificant details can stop a takeoff as easily as a technical problem. The presence of a boat in the “prohibited zone” for example!
In Florida, around the Kennedy Space Center, tens of thousands of spectators have already gathered along beaches, roads and the entire coast to try to catch a glimpse of the most ambitious American lunar mission since the 1970s. Will Space Launch System succeed in its mission? Will he stay on the ground for more caution until Monday, or longer? Answer this Saturday evening, before 10:17 p.m. (Paris). NASA is broadcasting its attempt live here with many guests, while the majority of “space streamers” (also in France) will comment on the shot.
Source : NASA
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