After having three failed fueling attempts, the Artemis 1 team canceled the initial date for the fourth fueling attempt to return the moon rocket to NASA's Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building to replace the damaged valve and fix the leaky umbilical.
Prelude to Artemis 1 Setback
NASA said in a media advisory on Sunday, April 17, that the agency will hold a media teleconference on Monday at 3 p.m. EDT to discuss the status of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The Orion spacecraft's next wet dress rehearsal test ahead of the Artemis I lunar mission will also be on the agenda.
Three important officials will participate in the teleconference that will be streamed live on the agency's website: (1) Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for common exploration systems development at NASA Headquarters in Washington, (2) Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director at NASA Exploration Ground Systems program in Kennedy, and (3) Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager at NASA Headquarters,
As previously reported, "NASA's SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft were just officially positioned last month at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This means that NASA Artemis is getting closer to starting the lunar mission."
Artemis is divided into three missions: Artemis I, Artemis II, and Artemis III. NASA is currently in the early stages of Artemis I. Before the agency announces the launch date, the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will be tested for launch preparations, a process known as the "wet dress rehearsal."
First Failed Fueling Attempt of Artemis 1
According to Space.com, the wet dress rehearsal began on April 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
The loading of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants into the SLS, as well as the execution of many simulated launch countdowns, were scheduled to tie things up in around 48 hours. However, Artemis 1 crew members ran into many issues that caused those steps to be delayed, and they were forced to stand down to make room for the private Ax-1 astronaut mission, which launched on April 8 from KSC's Pad 39A aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Second Failed Fueling Attempt of Artemis 1
The second wet dress rehearsal of Artemis 1 was held on April 12 but in a modified format this time. After detecting a defective valve on the mobile launch lower supporting the Artemis 1 stack, the team chose to fuel only the SLS core stage, not its upper stage.
Third Failed Fueling Attempt of Artemis 1
On April 14, technicians started fueling the core stage as scheduled, but they had to stop after discovering liquid hydrogen leaking from one of the "umbilical" cables connecting the mobile launch tower to the SLS.
The Artemis 1 Team Canceled the Planned Fourth Wet Dress Rehearsal
The Artemis 1 team initially intended to launch another tanking attempt as soon as Thursday, April 21, but they just opted to return the Artemis 1 stack to KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building to replace the damaged valve and fix the leaky umbilical.
NASA hopes to launch the mission this summer but won't announce an official launch date until the wet dress is completed and the data has been examined.
During the teleconference on April 18, the agency will provide additional information about the status of the Artemis I Moon Mission.
