NASA is replacing the leaking seals on the moon rocket in the pad, hoping to launch it on its first test flight by the end of this month. Managers said Thursday they will conduct another test after the repairs to ensure all hydrogen fuel leaks are plugged. If that test goes well — and if the Space Force extends a flight safety waiver — then NASA could take another stab at launching the 322-foot rocket in late September. Otherwise, the rocket will return to the hangar for additional work, delaying liftoff until at least October. A series of hydrogen fuel leaks and other problems halted back-to-back launch attempts last week. The Space Launch System rocket — the most powerful ever built by NASA — holds a crew capsule with three test dummies. The space agency wants to send the capsule into lunar orbit on a test run before putting astronauts on its next flight in 2024. That mission around the Moon would pave the way for the first human landing on the moon in 50 years, which currently scheduled for 2025. “We have to do the tank test and then we have to see what the realism and timing is” to make a launch attempt as early as Sept. 23, said Jim Free, who is in charge of NASA’s exploration systems development. For the late September launch, NASA needs the OK from the Space Force at Cape Canaveral, which oversees the rocket’s self-destruct system. Batteries are required to activate the system if the missile is diverted from its course towards populated areas. These batteries need to be rechecked periodically and this can only be done in the shed. The military would have to extend the certification of these batteries by an additional two weeks or more to avoid moving the missile back to the hangar. But every time the rocket moves between the hangar and the launch pad adds “routine wear and tear, and I don’t want to do that” unless it’s necessary, said chief engineer John Blevins. There have already been three trips to the pad this year for practice countdowns and, most recently, the failed launch attempts on Aug. 29 and Saturday. Engineers hope replacing a pair of seals on the hydrogen fuel lines at the bottom of the rocket will take care of any lingering leaks. As an added precaution, the launch team is planning “a gentler approach to tanking” during the final phase of the countdown, slowing the fuel flow at times to reduce stress on the seals, according to Mike Bolger, program manager. “We are optimistic that we can solve this problem,” he told reporters. Years behind schedule and billions over budget, NASA’s new lunar exploration program is named Artemis after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology. Twelve astronauts walked on the moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s during NASA’s Apollo program. —— The Associated Press Health and Science Section is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science Education Division. AP is solely responsible for all content.
