The launch team repaired the leaking hydrogen seal and began a gentle hydrogen loading procedure to correct the problem. Hydrogen is an extremely efficient fuel for rockets, but its extremely cold temperature and the small size of hydrogen molecules make it prone to leakage. Hydrogen powers the SLS rocket’s four main stage engines and a single upper stage engine.
“Artemis I was a test flight, and we learned a lot during that mission leading up to launch,” said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA’s Artemis II launch director. “The things we’ve learned in terms of how to load this vehicle, how to load LOX (liquid oxygen), how to load hydrogen, have all been applied to the way we intend to load the Artemis II vehicle.”
NASA is hesitant to publicly set a target launch date until the agency has conducted a dress rehearsal, but agency officials say a February launch is possible.
“We have prepared the program very well to roll out today,” Isaacman said. “We have no intention of giving an actual launch date until we get out of the wet suit. But look, this is our first window, and if everything is tracking accordingly, I know the teams are ready, I know this team is ready, we’ll take it.”
“The wet dress is the catalyst for the launch,” Blackwell-Thompson said. “With a wet dress without any significant problems, if everything goes according to plan, there are certainly opportunities within February that can be achieved.
An obstacle that hampered NASA’s Artemis I launch campaign is no longer a significant factor for Artemis II. On Artemis I, NASA had to roll the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) after a wet dress rehearsal to complete final installation and testing on its flight termination system, which consists of a series of pyrotechnic charges designed to destroy the rocket if it flies off course and threatens populated areas after liftoff.
The U.S. Space Force’s Eastern Range, which is responsible for public safety for all launches from Florida’s Space Coast, is required to retest the flight termination system after 28 to 35 days, a clock that began ticking last week before the rollout. During Artemis I, technicians could not access the rocket parts they needed to re-test them on the launch pad. NASA now has structural arms that give ground teams the ability to access parts of the rocket aloft for retesting without having to return to the hangar.
With this new capability, Artemis II can remain on the pad for launch opportunities in February and March before officials need to return it to the VAB to replace the flight termination system batteries, which still cannot be accessed on the pad.
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