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NASA has completed the repair on its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, reported the space agency. The leaking fuel seals on the SLS have been replaced by engineers last week. One of the fuel lines to the SLS was leaking earlier this month leading the space agency to stop its attempt to launch the Artemis I SLS-orion Spacecraft. Moreover, NASA plans to conduct a fuelling test to verify that the replaced seal is working as intended. Nasa has announced that it was targeting September 23 for another attempt at sening its Artemis I Moon rocket into space.
In a blog post, NASA has announced that it had successfully replaced the seals that were associated with hydrogen leak on the Artemis I SLS rocket. As a consequence of fuel, the space agency halted its second attempt to launch its Moon rocket on September 03.
According to the US space agency, both the 8-inch line used to fill and drain liquid hydrogen from the core stage and the 4-inch bleed line used to redirect some of the propellant during tanking operations were removed and replaced by engineers ahead of the next launch attempt.
NASA stated that the umbilical plates were reconnected and inspections were performed by technicians over the weekend, while a tanking demonstration is being prepared for as early as September 17.
To recall, a Senior official Jim Free told reporters that NASA is looking at September 23 and September 27 as possible dates for its next attempt at launching its Artemis 1 mission to the Moon.
Two previous attempts were ‘scrubbed’ after the rocket experienced technical glitches including a fuel leak in the last week of August and early September. The mission is an exciting step towards returning humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972.
In the last launch attempt on 3 September, just 40 minutes before the Space Launch System rocket was set to take off from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida a leaking fuel line caused engineers to scrub the launch.
The Artemis 1 mission is not just about putting our footprints on lunar dust: it marks the beginning of a new space race for lunar resources. It will carry out a 42-day uncrewed test flight to orbit the Moon and return to Earth. The trip will use a new launch vehicle, the Space Launch System (SLS), which is the most powerful rocket currently operational in the world.