TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Nasa on Saturday, September 3, 2022, announced that it would not attempt to launch its Space Launch System in the coming days, after two failed rocket launch attempts, and likely to cause a delay of several weeks.
August 29, 2022 was supposed to be the first launch of the Space Launch System (SLS). The launch attempt failed after engineers noticed a problem with the temperature of one of the rocket’s four engines.
On Saturday, a second launch attempt was thwarted by persistent hydrogen leaks described by the mission chief Artemis, Michael Sarafinn, as “great” in the press conference after the fiasco. Small hydrogen leaks were also observed during the 29 experiment, but they were much larger.
The launch will be a first for NASA’s SLS, a very expensive and long-delayed rocket that has been in development for more than a decade. The rocket was slated to launch the unmanned capsule Orion on a mission called Artemis I. The mission was designed as a test flight, paving the way for future missions that would take astronauts to the Moon.
NASA hasn’t announced when its next Artemis I launch attempt will be, but expects to have a better idea in the coming days. Engineers focused on the part of the refueling system that helps deliver liquid hydrogen into the rocket and can be quickly disconnected from the rocket after refueling.
These fast circuit breakers are surrounded by a seal designed to prevent hydrogen from escaping, what are called “soft substances”. One solution being considered is to remove and replace the soft elements around the fast circuit breaker.
The engineering team is currently trying to determine if it would be better to make this replacement and fix other issues at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) or if they should stay in the field. There are risks and benefits to both approaches.
As Sarafin notes, if NASA stays on track, they can test the system at cryogenic temperatures, which will give them a better idea of how it behaves during an actual launch. The downside is that NASA also has to build an environmental enclosure to stay on the pad.
If they returned to the VAB, the building itself would serve as a neighborhood compound. But while NASA can replace and test problem parts inside the VAB, this can only be done at room temperature — not cryogenic.
Speaking immediately after the second launch on Saturday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that if SLS returned to VAB for repairs, the next launch attempt would most likely be between mid-October and late October. , after departure of the planned crewed mission to the International Space Station. earlier that month. The process of returning the megarocket to the VAB takes several hours.
There are also other complications. When the rocket hit the runway on August 16, another timer started. NASA has 20 days to launch the rocket before it has to be moved back to test the rocket’s flight arrest system batteries.
The termination system is the part of the rocket that the Space Force can use to destroy the rocket if something goes wrong during launch and flight. NASA got permission to extend it to 25 days, but that time is running out. Unless NASA secures another extension, the rocket will have to return to VAB.
THE EDGE
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