The launch is scheduled for two:17 p.m., with a two-hour launch window. Climate for a Saturday launch additionally could possibly be difficult, with solely a 40 % likelihood of favorable situations. However since there’s a two-hour window and showers are anticipated to be intermittent alongside the Florida coast, climate officers assume there could possibly be sufficient time alternative for the launch to happen.
The launch try Monday was scrubbed after NASA engineers have been unable to decrease the temperature of one of many engines to what’s required for launch. The RS-25 engines burn liquid hydrogen gas, which is saved at minus-423 levels Fahrenheit. To get the engines prepared for such a particularly chilly fluid, NASA bleeds a bit little bit of gas by means of in order that the engines received’t be shocked because the gas begins flooding in.
Final yr, NASA was in a position to gas the rocket after which hearth the 4 engines for his or her full eight-minute length throughout a check at NASA’s Stennis Flight Middle in Mississippi. However since then, the company has struggled with getting the rocket fueled and prepping the engines for launch.
Honeycutt mentioned Tuesday NASA engineers have been unsure whether or not the temperature studying was the results of a failure to chill the engine or a foul sensor not returning correct data.
Honeycutt mentioned that on Monday liquid hydrogen was flowing by means of the engines and did cool three of the engines as anticipated. The fourth, although, was “completely away from bed” with the others.
Honeycutt mentioned that changing the sensor on the pad “can be difficult.” As a substitute, NASA ought to be capable to inform if the engines are on the proper temperature by taking a look at an array of information sources as a substitute of counting on a single sensor. Additionally, NASA officers mentioned they might make a procedural change and begin chilling the engines 30 to 45 minutes earlier, as they did in the course of the profitable check final yr in Mississippi, to present them extra time to work by means of any issues.
“What I’m saying is, the one factor that I do know to alter to duplicate the success we had at Stennis is transferring to check earlier within the timeline,” Honeycutt mentioned.
Throughout a earlier fueling check, NASA by no means obtained to the purpose the place it flowed the liquid hydrogen in as a result of it had a leak, forcing the company to finish the check earlier than attending to that step.
Mike Sarafin, the Artemis I mission supervisor, had instructed reporters Monday that the groups knew that would pose an issue in the course of the launch try however determined to proceed anyway.
“We knew that that was a threat added into this launch marketing campaign, and it will be the primary time demonstrating that,” he mentioned.
Jim Free, NASA’s affiliate administrator for exploration methods growth, Monday defended the choice to proceed with the launch try. “There have been a whole lot of questions of ought to we now have rolled again and tried to do one other check. We nonetheless really feel like going for in the present day was the best factor to do,” he mentioned.
The Artemis program is an formidable try by the company to return astronauts to the moon for the primary time for the reason that Apollo period. (In Greek mythology, Artemis is the dual sister of Apollo.) The primary of the Artemis missions, Artemis I, is designed to ship the Orion spacecraft in orbit across the moon with none astronauts on board. The following flight, Artemis II, would ship as many as 4 astronauts within the capsule, once more to orbit however not land on the moon. If all goes to plan, a touchdown would come someday in 2025 or 2026.
