NASA conducts second rocket fueling test that will decide when Artemis astronauts head to the moon
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — NASA made another attempt to refuel its giant moon rocket Thursday after leaks interrupted the initial dress rehearsal and delayed astronauts’ first lunar trip in more than half a century.
For the second time this month, launch teams pumped more than 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of very cold fuel into the rocket at the top of its launch pad. They counted down to the half-minute mark as planned, then went back in time to run through the last 10 minutes again.
NASA completed the test late at night and said there was a minimal hydrogen leak, well within safety limits.
This was the most critical and difficult part of the two-day training countdown. Engineers were analyzing the data, with the result determining whether a March launch is possible for the Artemis II lunar mission with four astronauts.
In a positive sign, the U.S.-Canadian crew prepared Friday to enter a two-week quarantine period to provide what NASA called flexibility in the March launch window. Three of the astronauts joined the launch team on Thursday to monitor progress.
During the rehearsal two weeks ago, dangerous amounts of very cold liquid hydrogen leaked from the connections between the platform and the 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket. Engineers replaced a pair of seals and a clogged filter in hopes of passing the repeat test at the Kennedy Space Center. NASA said Thursday’s results gave engineers confidence in the new seals.
Astronauts will be able to take off on March 6 at the earliest. They will become the first humans to fly to the Moon – making a 10-day non-stop round trip – since Apollo 17 in 1972. They will not orbit or land.
NASA has been battling hydrogen leaks since the space shuttle era, which provided many SLS engines. Artemis’ first test flight without anyone on board was grounded for months due to a hydrogen leak before finally taking off in November 2022.
The years between flights make the problem worse, according to new NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, a technology entrepreneur who has financed his own trips to orbit through SpaceX.
Barely two months into his role, Isaacman is already promising to rethink the fuel connections between the rocket and the platform before the next launch of Artemis III. In a few more years, this mission will attempt to land two astronauts near the south pole of the Moon.
“We will not launch if we are not ready and the safety of our astronauts will remain the top priority,” he said last week on X.
Isaacman reiterated the need to ensure safety amid Thursday’s refueling test, issuing a scathing report on Boeing’s Starliner capsule program that left two astronauts stranded for months aboard the International Space Station. He said the crisis could have led to a loss of crew and blamed both Boeing and NASA executives.
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