NASA was forced to scrub the planned Aug. 29 launch of the Artemis I Orion capsule from Kennedy Space Center due to problems with the rocket engine. (Video: Reuters)
Updated August 29, 2022 at 10:41 a.m. EDT|Published August 29, 2022 at 6:31 a.m. EDT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA scrubbed the much-anticipated first flight of its Space Launch System rocket Monday after a series of problems with the rocket and the fueling procedures could not be quickly resolved.
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The space agency had been planning to launch the massive rocket and the Orion spacecraft, without any astronauts on board, on a trajectory toward the moon as part of its Artemis program. Now it will stand down and reassess problems with the complicated vehicle that has suffered delays and setbacks for years.
Engineers struggled to get one of the booster’s RS-25 engines chilled to the correct temperature by running liquid hydrogen, kept at minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit, through it. They tried a series of fixes, but none worked.
Speaking after the launch on NASA TV, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that the agency does not “launch until its right. … I think it’s just illustrative that this is a very complicated machine, a very complicated system and all those things have to work.”
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He added that scrubs are “just part of the space business and it’s part of a test flight…. They’ll get to the bottom of it. They’ll get it fixed and then we’ll fly.”
The scrub continues to be a disappointment for NASA and a setback for a program that has suffered all kinds of delays. For years, critics have derided the rocket as the “Senate Launch System,” arguing it does more to create jobs in key congressional districts than open new frontiers. And the delay is yet another issue for the rocket, which struggled to complete some key testing milestones before the launch.
NASA ran into a similar problem in June during a test known as a “wet dress rehearsal,” when there was a leak of liquid hydrogen in one of many strains main from the bottom provides to the rocket. Knowing the fueling strains may pose a problem, NASA officers stated the second can be a key hurdle to clear earlier than launch.
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“This is something they wanted to test during wet dress four but were unable to,” Derrol Nail, a NASA broadcaster, stated through the company’s livestream of the launch try. “So this was the first opportunity for the team to see this live in action. It’s a particularly tricky issue to get that temperature dialed in.”
In the times main as much as the flight, NASA officers had tried to handle expectations, saying repeatedly that the flight was a check to see how the rocket performs in real-world situations and warned they’d probably encounter issues alongside the way in which.
In an interview final week, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that regardless of all the thrill surrounding the launch, “I want to remind people this is a test flight. We’re going to stress this thing in a way that we would never do with humans on board. And so I just want to bring everybody back to reality.”
On Saturday, Mike Sarafin, NASA’s Artemis mission supervisor, stated that the launch “could scrub for any number of reasons. We’re not going to promise that we’re going to get off on Monday. We could have weather, we could have technical issues or we could have a range and public safety hold and or a combination of those.”
Still, it’s a setback for the company, which very a lot needed the launch to go effectively and had ready a celebratory broadcast with Hollywood stars and performances by Yo-Yo Ma and Herbie Hancock that was shelved when the issues grew to become evident.
NASA has backup launch dates of Sept. 2 and Sept. 5, however it was not instantly clear when it would attempt to launch once more.
NASA obtained a late begin to fueling the rocket when a thunderstorm got here inside 5 miles of the launch pad at about midnight. Once the storm handed, engineers started fueling the rocket, first, the liquid oxygen, which was going effectively, after which the liquid hydrogen. But quickly afterward, sensors on the base of the rocket detected a leak. NASA stopped the fueling, then began and stopped once more in a fitful effort to maintain the launch on observe.
NASA was in a position to totally gas the primary stage and was almost executed with the rocket’s second stage.
“The team did fantastic job working through that problem and get us past it,” Jeremy Graeber, the Artemis I assistant launch director, stated throughout NASA’s dwell broadcast.
But it ran right into a problem when it tried to prep the engines for launch. Liquid hydrogen was not working by means of one of many 4 RS-25 engines mounted to the bottom of the rocket. As a end result, it didn’t attain the right temperature wanted for launch.
Garrett Reisman, a former NASA astronaut, wrote on Twitter that the scrub was “not surprising — It’s really hard to launch a brand new rocket on the first try— especially one this complex. @NASA has to be careful with this one since they only have this one rocket intended for the Artemis I mission.”
Nelson, who flew on the area shuttle in 1986 when he was a member of Congress, stated that scrubs are a standard a part of spaceflight. He stated his shuttle launch was delayed 4 instances earlier than it took off. But “the fifth try was a flawless mission,” he stated.
The controversial historical past of NASA’s Space Launch System
NASA scrubs the launch of its SLS moon rocket after a sequence of issues
NASA was pressured to wash the much-anticipated first flight of its Space Launch System rocket early Monday after a sequence of issues with the rocket and the fueling procedures prevented it from lifting off.
The area company had been planning to launch the huge rocket and the Orion spacecraft, with none astronauts on board, on a trajectory towards the moon as a part of its Artemis program. Now it must stand down and reassess issues with the sophisticated automobile that has suffered delays and setbacks for years.
Engineers struggled to get one of many booster’s RS-25 engines chilled to the right temperature by working liquid hydrogen, saved at minus 423 levels Fahrenheit, by means of it. Engineers tried a sequence of fixes, however none labored.
NASA bumped into an identical problem in June throughout a fueling check recognized as a “wet dress rehearsal,” when there was a leak of liquid hydrogen in one of many strains main from the bottom provides to the rocket. Knowing the fueling strains may pose a problem, NASA officers stated the second can be a key hurdle to clear earlier than launch.
“This is something they wanted to test during wet dress four but were unable to,” Derrol Nail, a NASA broadcaster, stated through the company’s livestream of the launch try. “So this was the first opportunity for the team to see this live in action. It’s a particularly tricky issue to get that temperature dialed in.”
In the times main as much as the flight, NASA officers had tried to handle expectations, saying repeatedly that the flight was a check to see how the rocket performs in real-world situations and warned they’d probably encounter issues alongside the way in which.
In an interview final week, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that regardless of all the thrill surrounding the launch, “I want to remind people this is a test flight. We’re going to stress this thing in a way that we would never do with humans on board. And so I just want to bring everybody back to reality.”
On Saturday, Mike Sarafin, NASA’s Artemis mission supervisor, stated that the launch “could scrub for any number of reasons. We’re not going to promise that we’re going to get off on Monday. We could have weather, we could have technical issues or we could have a range and public safety hold and or a combination of those.”
Still, it’s a setback for the company, which very a lot needed the launch to go effectively. NASA has backup launch dates on Sept. 2 and fifth, however it was not instantly clear when it would attempt to launch once more.
NASA obtained a late begin to fueling the rocket when a thunderstorm got here inside 5 miles of the launch pad at about midnight Monday. Once the storm handed, engineers started fueling the rocket, first the liquid oxygen, which was going effectively, after which the liquid hydrogen. But quickly afterward, sensors on the base of the rocket detected a leak. NASA stopped the fueling, then began and stopped once more in a fitful effort to maintain the launch on observe.
NASA was in a position to totally gas the primary stage and was almost executed with the rocket’s second stage.
“The team did fantastic job working through that problem and get us past it,” Jeremy Graeber, the Artemis I assistant launch director, stated throughout NASA’s dwell broadcast.
But it ran right into a problem when it tried to prep the engines for launch. Liquid hydrogen was not working by means of one of many 4 RS-25 engines mounted to the bottom of the rocket. As a end result, it didn’t attain the right temperature wanted for launch.
Liquid hydrogen, the gas that powers the RS-25 engine, is a fickle propellant. It’s saved at minus-423 levels Fahrenheit, a temperature that might be a shock to the system as it’s loaded into the tanks after which cycles by means of pumps to the engines.
To put together the techniques for the blast of super-chilled hydrogen, engineers situation the system forward of time by bleeding liquid hydrogen by means of it. But in one of many three engines, a bleed line isn’t functioning correctly, and so the engine shouldn’t be dropping to the wanted temperature.
Engineers try to determine tips on how to remedy the problem, and the launch director has added a 10-minute maintain to the countdown, to allow them to attempt to fix it.
Delay disrupts NASA’s plans for a celebratory broadcast
NASA has huge plans for its broadcast of the Artemis I launch, a present that includes astronauts and particular friends who would speak concerning the area company’s enthusiasm for its plans to return human beings to the moon.
It was to characteristic a sequence of superstar appearances by Jack Black, Chris Evans, and Keke Palmer, as effectively as a particular efficiency of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Josh Groban and Herbie Hancock. It additionally deliberate to characteristic a efficiency of “America the Beautiful” by the Philadelphia Orchestra and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, performed by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
But all that has been placed on maintain whereas engineers try to get the large Space Launch System rocket in a situation for launch.
Until the issues are resolved, NASA is offering a feed to its operational channel the place it affords occasional updates on the progress of readying the rocket.
NASA engineers nonetheless attempting to fix engine difficulty
NASA engineers are troubleshooting a problem with one of many 4 RS-25 engines that energy the rocket. They had tried to run cryogenic propellant by means of the engine to get it to the best temperature for flight however have been having issues with the road.
The liquid hydrogen is saved at minus-423 levels Fahrenheit.
They have since opened and closed the valves, and added strain, however that doesn’t appear to be working to chill the engine. NASA bumped into an identical problem throughout a fueling check in June and had hoped that they had fastened the problem.
Additionally, engineers have observed the buildup of frost on the intertank, which connects the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks. That may very well be the results of a crack, and engineers are assessing that as effectively.
Weather and a leak are prone to push the launch time again
NASA obtained a late begin on fueling the rocket in a single day when a thunderstorm got here inside 5 miles of the launchpad round midnight Eastern time. Once the storm handed, crews started fueling the rocket: First, the liquid oxygen, which was going effectively, after which the liquid hydrogen. That’s when sensors on the base of the rocket detected a leak. NASA stopped the fueling, then began and stopped once more in a fitful effort to maintain the launch on observe.
The supercooled liquid hydrogen is extraordinarily gentle and saved at minus-423 levels Fahrenheit, which makes it a troublesome propellant to manage. It’s so chilly that when the 130-foot-tall hydrogen tank in the principle booster stage is totally fueled with 538,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen, it shrinks six inches, in keeping with NASA.
A bit of earlier than 5 a.m. Eastern time, NASA began filling the upper-stage tanks and, shortly thereafter, the main-stage tanks had been totally fueled with out further leaks.
“The team did fantastic job working through that problem and get us past it,” Jeremy Graeber, the Artemis I assistant launch director, stated throughout NASA’s dwell broadcast.
In the meantime, NASA has been urgent forward. The issues are prone to pressure NASA to maneuver the launch time to later within the two-hour window. But the company has not set a brand new launch time.
“We have a lot of work to get to that point,” Graeber stated.
Later, NASA commentator Derrol Nail stated NASA was investigating a crack on part of the rocket that connects the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks, and serves as a connection level for the rocket’s stable rocket boosters.
“The intertank is built differently from the rest of the core stage,” according to NASA’s website. “It is bolted together, not welded, with ribs on the outside for strength.”
Engineers are additionally working a problem with one of many booster’s engines that’s not on the right temperature that might permit it to launch.
Vice President Harris is scheduled to go to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and attend the Artemis I launch. She’s additionally scheduled to ship a speech concerning the nation’s effort to return to the moon and tour the services the place the {hardware} is being constructed for upcoming missions.
The Artemis program, which goals to ship the primary lady and particular person of shade to the lunar floor, was an initiative began by the Trump administration. However, it has been embraced by the Biden White House as effectively, making it the primary deep-space human spaceflight program to outlive subsequent administrations since Apollo.
Earlier this month, Harris, who chairs the National Space Council, met with area leaders within the personal sector. The subsequent Space Council assembly is scheduled for Sept. 9.
What are the probabilities the SLS rocket will launch right this moment?
The climate forecast for the start of the two-hour launch window, which opens at 8:33 a.m. Eastern time, seems good: an 80 % probability of go. Later within the window, nonetheless, clouds and doable showers may transfer into the realm close to the Kennedy Space Center, decreasing the chance of launch to 60 %.
There are all kinds of different technical points that might delay the mission, and since that is the primary flight of the rocket, NASA continues to be studying the way it operates, even after years of growth. In the previous, the area company had bother loading the automobile with the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen that serve as its propellant. But it hopes that every one of these points have been resolved.
On Saturday, Mike Sarafin, NASA’s Artemis mission supervisor, was blunt in assessing the chance of launch, however he additionally stated he was optimistic.
“We’re not going to promise that we’re going to get off on Monday,” he stated. “We could have weather. We could have technical issues, or we could have a range and public safety hold and/or a combination of those. But we do feel good about our attempt on Monday in terms of our overall setup.”
