The rollback to the launchpad for NASA's monster Moon rocket has slipped by a day, though the agency is optimistic that the long-delayed return of humans to lunar space will still happen in early April.
NASA confirmed the delay on March 16, a few days before the rocket was due to begin its 12-hour trundle back to the launch pad. Instead of March 19, the agency is now targeting no earlier than March 20 to move the Artemis II rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Pad 39B.
"Teams identified an electrical harness for the flight termination system on the core stage needed replacement," NASA said. Problems with the flight termination system, which is responsible for bringing a malfunctioning rocket's flight to an abrupt end, would be catastrophic, and it is obviously much better to identify and address the issue in the relative safety of the VAB.
Engineers have dealt with the problem, and despite the delay, NASA remains hopeful that everything will be ready for an April 1 launch attempt. There are additional launch opportunities during the month, although teams are keeping an eye on the weather as the big day approaches.
Once Artemis II is out of the way, attention will turn to Artemis III. The mission is scheduled for a 2027 launch to low Earth orbit to test lunar landing technologies, following a rejig of the program by new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. The first landing is planned for 2028 with Artemis IV.
There could be further changes in store for the Artemis program. In a recent interview, Isaacman stated that he expected landers at the Moon's South Pole to reach a monthly cadence to deliver logistics to the lunar surface. NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya was also reported as saying that the agency might relax some of the human landing constraints, meaning that alternatives to the potentially tricky terrain of the Moon's South Pole could be considered (although he noted that the location remained a key destination for the project).
The Artemis II rocket was forced to return to the VAB following an issue with the flow of helium to the upper stage after a February 21 wet dress rehearsal (WDR). As well as resolving the problem, which was caused by a seal becoming dislodged, engineers also fitted a new set of flight termination batteries and performed other tasks, including replacing a seal on the core stage liquid oxygen line feed system.
No further WDRs are planned for the rocket upon its return to the launch pad. NASA managers hope that the next time it is loaded with propellant will be the time the SLS is finally launched. ®
Source: The register