NASA scrubs Artemis I due to engine issues
scrub
NASA anticipated launching the SLS moon rocket Monday morning from Kennedy Space Center, but engine issues forced the space agency to scrub the launch.
Started with Delays
Engine tanking overnight started with a delay due to inclement weather in the area. The launch team held for a small weather cell that was producing lighting. Weather criteria for engine tanking stipulates that the probability of lightning must not exceed 20% in the first hour of tanking.
Timeline of Events
1:20 am — Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson has given the “go” to officially begin loading propellants into the Space Launch System rocket. Tanking began with chilldown of the core stage liquid oxygen transfer line.
2:31 am — After chilling the lines for liquid oxygen (LOX) and beginning with slow fill of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage, the team has now transitioned to LOX fast fill. Teams have also completed chilldown of the liquid hydrogen (LH2) lines and started LH2 slow fill.
3:41 am — A hydrogen spike put the launch into another hold while engineers troubleshooted the cause.
4:16 am — Liquid Hydrogen fast fill resumes
5:28 am — A go for upper stage LOX loading begins, and the core stage was fully tanked.
6:23 am — A hold for a possible crack in the thermal protection system material on one of the flanges on the core stage. Teams continue to assess Engine 3 of the RS-25 engines through a bleed and condition. The engine could not get to the proper temperature.
8:19 am — Teams went into a hold in the countdown at T-40 minutes while engineers evaluate why the bleed test to condition the engines was not successful.
Making the call
The launch director halted today’s Artemis I launch attempt at approximately 8:34 a.m. EDT. The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft remain in a safe and stable configuration. Launch controllers were continuing to evaluate why a bleed test to get the RS-25 engines on the bottom of the core stage to the proper temperature range for liftoff was not successful, and ran out of time in the two-hour launch window. Engineers are continuing to gather additional data.
NASA update
NASA has a planned update briefing today at 1:00pm EST to inform the public of the next steps and if the Friday, Sept 2, 2022 launch date is doable.
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