Following a scrubbed launch on Monday, NASA has now said that it is targeting a two-hour window for launch of the Artemis I mission on Saturday.
That two-hour window opens at 14:17 EDT (20:17 SAST) and hopefully, the Space Launch System will get off of the ground this time.
On Monday, teams at NASA weren’t able to cool engine three of the rocket down to the acceptable temperature of -251 degrees Celsius. A hydrogen leak was also discovered and has since been addressed, but all of this lead to the decision to push the launch back.
“In the coming days, teams will modify and practice propellant loading procedures to follow a procedure similar to what was successfully performed during the Green Run at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The updated procedures would perform the chilldown test of the engines, also called the kick start bleed test, about 30 to 45 minutes earlier in the countdown during the liquid hydrogen fast fill liquid phase for the core stage,” NASA said.
While the next launch window was said to be on Friday, weather has pushed this back to Saturday. Even then, meteorologists with U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 45 expect sporadic rain showers during the launch window.
“The mission management team will reconvene Thursday to review data and overall readiness,” NASA added.
Once launched, the Artemis I mission will play out over 42 days. On board the Space Launch System is the Orion capsule which will be ejected from the SLS to make its way to the Moon. The capsule will orbit the Moon before heading back to Earth where it will reach speeds of up to 40 000kmph before entering our atmosphere and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
Before that though, the spacecraft needs to get off of the ground.
