NASA said Wednesday it has successfully tested refueling its new Moon rocket.
NASA on Wednesday said it had successfully tested the refueling process of its new rocket, after technical problems a few weeks ago scuttled two attempts to get the giant animal off the ground and toward the ground. The moon is stopped.
“All the goals we set out to accomplish, we were able to accomplish today,” said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, launch director of a program called Artemis 1.
The unmanned mission hopes to test the new 30-stage SLS rocket as well as the unmanned Orion capsule atop it, in preparation for future journeys to the Moon with humans on board.
The last attempt in early September to launch NASA’s most powerful rocket had to be aborted because of a leak while its frozen fuel – liquid hydrogen and oxygen – was being pumped into the rocket’s tanks.
Repairs have been made and Wednesday’s inspection involved refilling those tanks.
Although a small hydrogen leak was detected during the test, NASA engineers were able to get it under control.
Last week NASA said it was aiming for September 27 as the next takeoff date. October 2 is set as a fallback date.
“Teams will evaluate the data from the test, along with weather and other factors, before confirming readiness to proceed with the next launch opportunity,” NASA said.
When asked about the timing of the next test launch, Blackwell-Thompson declined to comment, though she said she was “extremely encouraged before today’s test.”
WE Officials are also closely monitoring the trajectory of Hurricane Fiona off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean.
To be able to have September 27th, NASA must get an exemption to avoid retesting the battery on a detonation system used to destroy a missile if it deviates uncontrollably.
The next mission, Artemis 2, will take the astronauts to Moon without landing on it facewhile the third season – set in the mid-2020s – will see the first woman and person of color on lunar land.
NASA wants to build a space station on the Moon called Gateway and maintain a long-term presence on the Moon to gain insight into how to survive on space missions long, long before the mission to the moon. Mars in the 2030s.
