Live / Artemis I mission launch delayed due to engine overheating

Bill Nelson, NASA administrator, is reacting to the postponement of the Artemis I mission. In a press conference, Bill Nelson said that “this is just part of the space business and particularly a test flight, we are testing the spacecraft of a So that’s not what we would do if there was a human crew on board, that’s the goal.”

“We don’t launch until the right time, we don’t light the candle until we’re ready,” explained the US space agency administrator: “I think it illustrates that this is a very complicated machine, a very complicated machine. system and all of these things really have to work.”

The launch of the Artemis I mission was delayed due to difficulty controlling the temperature of one of the four SLS rocket engines.

“The launch of Artemis I is not going to happen because the teams are working on a problem with a hydrogen leak that affects the engine. Teams will continue to collect data,” says NASA.

the launch of #Sagebrush It’s not happening anymore today as the teams deal with an issue with an engine bleeding. The teams will continue to collect data and we will keep you updated on the timing of the next launch attempt. https://t.co/tQ0lp6Ruhv pic.twitter.com/u6Uiim2mom

— NASA (@NASA) August 29, 2022

The next window of opportunity is next Friday, September 2 at 5:48 p.m. Lisbon time, but NASA has yet to confirm whether the launch is actually delayed to that day or to a later date.

It’s after 13:33. At that time, if no technical problems had been detected, the Artemis I mission would be taking off into space. But the countdown is at a standstill and there is still no indication as to whether the launch will hold for the next two hours or not.

NASA explains what was behind the crack found in the heat shield around the rocket’s main stage: air that entered the polyurethane foam and, escaping again, froze, forming ice.

It is a problem that should not condition the launch of this Monday. But it remains to be understood why the fuel leak is happening, overheating one of the engines.

NASA says that it should give news in the next 10 minutes about the launch of the Artemis I mission. Let us remember that a series of technical problems is conditioning the continuity of the mission, which could be postponed for a few hours or even until at least Friday. fair.

Artemis 1 will be the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems. One of them is the Orion spacecraft, which will transport astronauts to the Moon. The other is the Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket ever built by mankind, which the space agency will debut on Monday.

Overnight, we lit up @NASA_SLSThe core components of the stage for the #Sagebrush Lanzo, including the avionics boxes located inside the core stage. The boxes are connected to various sensors and flight computers to command and control the rocket during tanking, liftoff and ascent. pic.twitter.com/Bhk4qkWENW

—Jim Free (@JimFree) August 28, 2022

The first manned mission will be Artemis II, but only Artemis III will fly with humans inside. The rocket will be powered by the two most powerful boosters in the space exploration industry (but have adopted some parts from the space shuttle era), burning six tons of fuel per second, and four RS-25 engines. These main engines are exactly the same as those used in the space shuttle program and will be reusable during the first three Artemis missions.

The mission launch countdown clock has stopped at 40 minutes since just after 12:30. And it shows no signs of life, which should push back the scheduled time for the Artemis 1 mission’s lament.

According to NASA, “the SLS rocket hydrogen team is discussing plans with the Artemis I mission launch manager.”

The countdown clock is on hold at T-40 minutes. The hydrogen team @NASA_SLS Rocket is discussing plans with the #Sagebrush I launch director. Operational commentary continues at https://t.co/z1RgZwQkWS. pic.twitter.com/5J6rHVCe44

— NASA (@NASA) August 29, 2022

Artemis I is an unmanned mission whose main objective is to test the technological systems of NASA’s new rocket and the safety of the Orion capsule. This will be the great test of the American space agency of the thermal shields that must protect the capsule so that it does not re-enter the atmosphere.

Although there are no humans on board the mission scheduled for today, on the ground the astronauts live the launch intensely. Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency stands with European astronauts Alexander Gerst and Luca Parmitano, awaiting the departure of the Artemis I mission into space. He slept two hours, such is the enthusiasm.

Two hours of sleep ✅ Blue Flight Suit ✅ ???????? + ???????? + ???????? ✅ go #Artemis1! pic.twitter.com/3lW5BcsvV6

– Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) August 29, 2022

Luca Parmitano, for his part, tweeted half an hour ago a photo of the three astronauts on the launch pad, wearing the blue suits of the European Space Agency (participating in the mission), accompanying the “suspense” caused by technical problems. . on the SLS rocket. .

T-59 minutes. Suspense. #Sagebrush #we go @Thom_astro @astro_luca pic.twitter.com/Eb2J5VHDyo

— Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) August 29, 2022

The fuel leak, in this case liquid hydrogen, appears to be resolved, but NASA still needs to test the systems to confirm mission viability.

The countdown to launch stopped at 40 minutes from the new scheduled start time of the mission, NASA confirms.

However, the engineers responsible for the polyurethane leak around the rocket’s main stage will now discuss the next steps for Artemis I with the launch manager. There is a real possibility that the launch could be delayed by a few hours until just next Friday. .

Rádio Observador spoke with the astronomer and space enthusiast José Agusto Matos, a professor at the University of Aveiro, about the relevance of returning to the Moon more than 50 years after the first manned trip to the Earth’s natural satellite. Listen to today’s Story episode here.

The initial plan was to launch the Artemis I mission at 1:33 p.m. from mainland Portugal this Monday, but a series of technical problems could put that goal in check. If so, the US space agency could wait until 15:33 in Lisbon. If you need more time, the release is postponed to September 2.

There are two problems that condition the mission. First of all, one of the RS-25 engines, the third of four, installed in the lower part of the main stage – it is overheating. NASA engineers are trying to release some cryogenic propellant to resolve the situation, but the plan isn’t working.

The other problem is a crack in the material of the thermal protection system on one of the flanks of the main stage of the rocket, in the orange part of the device, near the polyurethane connection joints.

Good day. Welcome to the Observer liveblog, where we will be following the launch of the first mission of the Artemis program, NASA’s plan to return to the Moon and begin the colonization of space. While you await the launch, which is scheduled for 1:33 pm in mainland Portugal (but may be delayed), read this special for essential information on the Artemis I mission.