Cape Canaveral NASA began another launch practice countdown Tuesday for its first flight to the Moon in decades with astronauts after making repairs to fix dangerous fuel leaks that have already delayed the flight to March.
The first refueling test was interrupted two weeks ago by the same type of liquid hydrogen leaks that disrupted the first flight of the Artemis program with no one on board three years ago.
Launch crews replaced a couple of gaskets and a clogged filter on the Kennedy Space Center pad housing the giant moon rocket before restarting the countdown clocks. The two-day test will culminate on Thursday with an attempt to fill the rocket’s fuel tanks. The four Artemis II astronauts will follow the crucial dress rehearsal from a distance.
1/11 | This is what it looked like when Artemis I began with the launch of the new lunar rocket. Almost three months after the first launch attempt, the powerful lunar rocket of the Artemis I mission took off towards the orbit of the Moon. – The Associated Press
For NASA to set a launch date, it is necessary that the test be carried out successfully and without leaks. The earliest date for liftoff of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket is March 6. Officials had considered moving it up three days, but said the extra time was needed to analyze the results of fuel loading tests.
The last time astronauts took off to the Moon was in 1972, during NASA’s Apollo program.
This story was translated from English to Spanish with an artificial intelligence tool and was reviewed by an editor before publication.