NASA has announced that it has resolved the helium issue on its Artemis II rocket, which is scheduled to launch to the moon in the coming weeks.
Artemis II will carry four astronauts and fly around the moon on a historic journey that will take humanity further into space than ever before. But last month, a helium flow problem was discovered in the upper stage of the mission’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, delaying the mission for the second time this year.
Engineers determined that a broken seal was blocking the helium flow and repaired it, NASA said in a statement. The space agency expects to continue work on the rocket over the coming weeks, including replacing the rocket’s self-destruct system and batteries elsewhere before returning it to its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida in time for launch in April.
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Artemis II’s April launch window includes April 1, April 3-6, and April 30. This is NASA’s last chance to launch the rocket on schedule. The mission is expected to begin no later than April 30th.
Artemis II is NASA’s first attempt to return humans to the moon in more than 50 years. The mission will also send a woman and a black man to the moon for the first time. Artemis II will not land on the moon, but NASA hopes to use the 10-day flight to test the system and collect data before two crewed missions to the moon are scheduled for 2028.
The Artemis project has experienced a number of setbacks, including a series of hydrogen leaks. This isn’t the first time an Artemis rocket has returned to the factory for repairs. The Artemis I SLS rocket returned to the vehicle assembly building multiple times in 2022, before finally taking off and completing an unmanned test flight around the moon.
Following the delay, NASA announced a major overhaul of its Artemis program last Friday (February 27), with NASA now targeting annual launches, potentially removing SpaceX and Boeing from the mission plan, and aiming for two moon landings in 2028.
Expectations for Artemis II’s March launch increased after the rocket completed a critical refueling test on February 19. Staff demonstrated the ability to safely refuel SLS with more than 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of cryogenic propellant (cryogenic liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer) and complete a mock launch.
Then, on the night of February 20-21, what NASA now identifies as a broken seal prevented helium from flowing to the top of the rocket, forcing NASA to abort the launch and roll the rocket to the vehicle assembly building at Kennedy Space Center.
Helium is important because NASA uses it to control environmental conditions in upper stage engines and to pressurize fuel tanks. Now that the seal has been repaired, engineers hope helium can continue to do its job unhindered.
NASA was aiming for a quick turnaround with a rollback to keep the April launch window open. For now, the space agency appears to be on track for a spring launch.
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