An approaching storm threatens to delay NASA’s next launch attempt for the New Moon rocket, already grounded for weeks by fuel leaks. A tropical depression in the southern Caribbean is moving toward Florida and could become a major hurricane. Managers said Friday that the rocket is ready to launch Tuesday on its first unmanned test flight after overcoming more hydrogen leaks during a fueling test earlier in the week. NASA said it would continue to monitor the forecast and decide by Saturday whether to not only delay the launch, but withdraw the rocket from the pad and return it to the hangar. Officials said it was unclear when the next launch attempt would be — whether in October or even November — if the missile had to be sheltered indoors. It takes three days of preparation to return the rocket to Kennedy Space Center’s mammoth Vehicle Assembly Building, four miles away. “I don’t think we’re limiting it,” said NASA’s Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems. “We’re just taking it one step at a time.” This would be the third launch attempt for the Space Launch System rocket, the most powerful ever built by NASA. Fuel leaks and other technical problems scuttled the first two attempts. The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket can withstand gusts of 85 mph (137 km/h) on the pad, but only 46 mph (74 km/h) once underway.
title: “Nearing Storm May Delay Launch Of Nasa S Moon Rocket " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-17” author: “Paul Bower”
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – An approaching storm is threatening to delay NASA’s next launch attempt for its new moon rocket, already grounded for weeks by fuel leaks.
A tropical depression in the southern Caribbean is moving toward Florida and could become a major hurricane.
Managers said Friday that the rocket is now ready to launch on its first test flight after overcoming more hydrogen leaks during a refueling test earlier in the week. It will be the first time a crewed capsule has orbited the moon in 50 years. the spacecraft will carry mannequins but no astronauts.
The teams will continue to monitor the forecast and decide by Saturday whether to not only delay the test flight, but to drag the rocket off the pad and back into the hangar. It is not clear when the next launch attempt will be – whether in October or even November – if the rocket has to seek shelter indoors.
The preference is to stay at the launch site and try for a launch on Tuesday, “but there are still some uncertainties in the forecast,” said Tom Whitmeyer of NASA, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems.
It takes three days of preparation for the rocket to return to Kennedy Space Center’s mammoth Vehicle Assembly Building, a 4-mile (6.4 km) journey that takes several hours.
“I don’t think we’re limiting it,” Whitmeyer told reporters. “We’re taking it step by step.”
The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket can withstand gusts of 85 mph (137 km/h) on the pad, but only 46 mph (74 km/h) once underway.
This would be the third launch attempt for the Space Launch System rocket, the most powerful ever built by NASA. Fuel leaks and other technical problems derailed the first two attempts, in late August and early September.
Although hydrogen fuel leaked past newly installed seals during Wednesday’s dress rehearsal, the launch team reduced the leak to acceptable levels by slowing the flow and depressurizing the lines. That gave the launch team the confidence to go ahead with a launch attempt on Tuesday, officials said.
Managers said the 30-year-old space shuttle program also saw several hydrogen fuel leaks and hurricane-related upsets. The main engines of the moon rocket are actually upgraded versions of the one that flew in shuttles.
Also, the Space Force has extended certification of the onboard batteries that are part of the flight safety system — at least until early October.
NASA has just two chances to launch the rocket — Tuesday and Oct. 2 — before a two-week blackout period begins. The next launch period will open on October 17.
Astronauts would board the craft for the second test flight around the Moon in 2024. The third mission, targeted for 2025, would see a pair of astronauts land on the moon.
