NASA fuels moon rocket in leak test ahead of next launch try
The Hindu
NASA is fueling its moon rocket in a leak test ahead of a launch attempt as early as next week
NASA loaded fuel into its moon rocket on Wednesday in a leak test ahead of a launch attempt as early as next week.
The daylong demo will determine whether the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket is ready for its first test flight, a lunar-orbiting mission with mannequins instead of astronauts.
Managers want to verify repairs to all the hydrogen leaks that spoiled the first two launch attempts, as well as earlier countdown tests. So much hydrogen escaped during the countdown earlier this month that it exceeded NASA’s limit by more than double.
NASA replaced two seals after the latest delay. One had a tiny indentation.
“The team is really excited to get through this test. Everybody's been working hard these last few weeks,” NASA engineer Wes Mosedale said from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control.
Wednesday’s objective: pumping nearly 1 million gallons (4 million liters) into the rocket, with minimum — or no — leakage. That would put NASA on course for a possible launch attempt on Tuesday, provided the U.S. Space Force extends the certification of batteries on board that are part of the flight safety system.
Besides replacing seals, NASA altered the fueling process, easing more slowly into the loading of the super-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen. That way, the plumbing should be subjected to less stress and be less likely to spring a leak, according to officials.