NASA Postpones Historic Moon Mission Due to Fuel Leak Issues During Critical Test
In a significant setback, NASA has delayed its ambitious mission to send astronauts on a historic 10-day journey around the moon, citing issues that arose during a critical wet dress rehearsal test. The Artemis II mission, set to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida as early as next week, is now expected to take place in March.
The agency's most powerful rocket yet, the Space Launch System (SLS), was put through its paces in a two-day test that aimed to mimic the final stages of a real-life countdown. However, engineers detected leaking hydrogen from the SLS, while teams also encountered problems with a valve associated with the Orion capsule that will serve as the crew's home during the mission.
According to NASA, "teams pushed through several challenges" during the test, and it has announced that they will fully review data from the test. While no specific date for the launch has been revealed, the agency acknowledged that issues arose during an elaborate launch-day walkthrough.
The news comes as a frustrating setback for the crew, who have been in quarantine for close to two weeks to prevent them from picking up illnesses before the mission. The astronauts will embark on a journey that marks the first return of people to the vicinity of the moon in over 50 years, with Christina Koch and Victor Glover set to become the first woman and person of color respectively to travel beyond low Earth orbit.
Previous tests have also revealed issues with NASA's SLS rocket, which was plagued by hydrogen leaks during its uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022. The upcoming mission will be the second flight of the SLS rocket, but this time without a crew.
While the delay may cause some consternation among space enthusiasts and the astronauts themselves, NASA is taking a cautious approach to ensure that all necessary checks are made before embarking on such an historic journey.
In a significant setback, NASA has delayed its ambitious mission to send astronauts on a historic 10-day journey around the moon, citing issues that arose during a critical wet dress rehearsal test. The Artemis II mission, set to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida as early as next week, is now expected to take place in March.
The agency's most powerful rocket yet, the Space Launch System (SLS), was put through its paces in a two-day test that aimed to mimic the final stages of a real-life countdown. However, engineers detected leaking hydrogen from the SLS, while teams also encountered problems with a valve associated with the Orion capsule that will serve as the crew's home during the mission.
According to NASA, "teams pushed through several challenges" during the test, and it has announced that they will fully review data from the test. While no specific date for the launch has been revealed, the agency acknowledged that issues arose during an elaborate launch-day walkthrough.
The news comes as a frustrating setback for the crew, who have been in quarantine for close to two weeks to prevent them from picking up illnesses before the mission. The astronauts will embark on a journey that marks the first return of people to the vicinity of the moon in over 50 years, with Christina Koch and Victor Glover set to become the first woman and person of color respectively to travel beyond low Earth orbit.
Previous tests have also revealed issues with NASA's SLS rocket, which was plagued by hydrogen leaks during its uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022. The upcoming mission will be the second flight of the SLS rocket, but this time without a crew.
While the delay may cause some consternation among space enthusiasts and the astronauts themselves, NASA is taking a cautious approach to ensure that all necessary checks are made before embarking on such an historic journey.
nasa gotta make sure everythin goes right 1st cos they dont wanna put peoples lives at risk 
i mean think bout it u want 2 trust a rocket 2 save ur life right? 
so yeah i get whr they r comin from its not 1 of those situations where they can jus wing it n say sorry later 
! I was so stoked about this mission, it's been years in the making and now they're pushing it back another month? 
At least they're being honest about the issues though, no need to sugarcoat anything. Fuel leaks during a critical test is not something you can just gloss over... that's a pretty big deal! 
What if this happens again on launch day? I get why NASA wants to be extra cautious, but it's like taking two steps back instead of one...
... just when we were so hyped for this mission... a fuel leak issue 
during critical test? that's like, super not good 
. but imagine those astronauts stuck in quarantine for even longer 
. can't say i blame them tho, they've been cooped up for weeks already 
.
and those astronauts can get back to space 
!
but i guess you can't rush greatness right? like nasa's being super careful and it's better to be safe than sorry, ya feel? they've had issues with the sls rocket before (remember that artemis i mission in 2022?) so yeah, it makes sense they'd wanna do a full review of the data 
. the thing is, we're talking about astronauts going on a 10-day journey around the moon here... that's crazy! and christina koch and victor glover are gonna be the first woman and person of color to do it... that's wild 
. gotta respect nasa's caution, though 
they've been in quarantine for weeks, now they gotta wait even longer for their moon adventure 
. I mean, can you believe it? A fuel leak issue during a critical test? That's just not what we need right now 
. I get that NASA wants to make sure everything is perfect, but 10 days is a long time to wait 
. i mean, i'm hyped about the whole moon mission thing and all, but a little caution never hurt anyone... right? 
it's like they need to show us that the technology is solid before sending humans on a wild ride around the moon 
at least they're being upfront about it, so we know something's not quite right... let's just hope they figure it out soon 
And those valve issues with the Orion capsule? Not what you want to mess around with. 
Hopefully they get it sorted out ASAP, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed they can still make it happen soon! 
, a 10-day moon mission delayed... again 
. I get that safety first 
, but come on! 
, so this delay is just gonna be another disappointment for them. And what about the whole crew morale thing? I'm pretty sure space travel is hard enough without having to deal with last-minute delays 
. But still, can't they just make this mission happen already? 
I know I'll be glued to my screen waiting for updates on the new launch date 
.
. First they had issues with the SLS rocket in 2022, and now we gotta wait another few months? It's like déjà vu all over again... remember when we were waiting for the Saturn V to take us back to the moon? 
.
anyway, at least the astronauts are safe from covid for now 
I mean, can't they just get it right once? It's like they're trying to mess with my dreams of going to the moon one day 
Why do they have to keep pushing back their launch dates? It's not like they're trying to escape from something... is NASA okay? Are they having some kind of crisis or what? 
. Let's just take a deep breath, reassess the situation, and make sure we're ready for lift-off