NASA’s new moon rocket has suffered another setback, putting next month’s planned launch with astronauts in jeopardy, the space agency announced Saturday.
Officials revealed the latest problem just one day after targeting March 6 for humanity’s first flight to the moon in more than half a century. Overnight, the flow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage was interrupted, they noted. Solid helium flow is required for launch.
NASA said it is reviewing all the data and preparing, if necessary, to return the Space Launch System rocket to the hangar for repairs at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. It's possible the work could be done at the launch pad; the space agency said engineers are protecting for both options.
“This will almost assuredly impact the March launch window.,” NASA said in a statement.
Hydrogen fuel leaks had already delayed the Artemis II lunar fly-around by a month. A second fueling test on Thursday revealed hardly any leaks, giving managers the confidence to aim for a March 6 liftoff.
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