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2w ago

NASA Orders Artemis II Rollback After Helium Fault, March Launch Scrubbed

Inspections at the Vehicle Assembly Building will determine repairs, guiding whether April launch opportunities remain viable.

Image
Se retrasa la misión Artemis II
El cohete Artemis II SLS (Sistema de Lanzamiento Espacial) con la nave espacial Orion instalados e iluminados en el Complejo de Lanzamiento 39B del Centro Espacial Kennedy de la NASA en Florida.
La NASA retrasa la misión Artemis II, que llevará al humano de nuevo a la Luna. Imagen referencial.

Overview

  • The SLS rocket and Orion will be rolled ~6.4 km back to the Vehicle Assembly Building this week for access to the upper stage.
  • A helium-flow interruption to the upper stage—used to purge lines and pressurize cryogenic tanks—was detected after the Feb. 19 wet dress rehearsal.
  • Operators are using a backup method to keep the stage and rocket in a safe configuration while engineers review data.
  • Teams are evaluating potential causes that include a ground-to-vehicle filter, an upper-stage valve, or a quick-disconnect umbilical, all serviceable only in the VAB.
  • Artemis II will carry Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on a roughly 10-day lunar flyby once the vehicle is cleared for flight.