NASA Delays Artemis 1 Launch Again as Engine Flight Controller Misbehaves

NASA has once more delayed its deliberate launch of the uncrewed lunar mission Artemis 1 by a minimum of a month. The house company had initially focused the launch of the mission on February 12, 2022, however points within the built-in testing programme have compelled one other schedule delay. The house company has stated it’s now taking a look at launch alternatives in March and April. The Artemis programme goals to return astronauts to the Moon’s floor later this decade for a sustainable presence in a bid to succeed in Mars within the 2030s.

Artemis 1, which was first scheduled to launch by the tip of this 12 months, can even be the primary flight of NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket. At least two extra flights are deliberate beneath the programme. Artemis 2 is ready for 2023 and Artemis three for the next 12 months when people will stroll on the Moon for the primary time since 1972. But the repeated delays in launching Artemis 1 is more likely to push again the following two missions.

NASA stated in a blog post that its engineers have detected an issue with one of many engine flight controllers. They carried out a sequence of inspections and troubleshooting however lastly determined to interchange the engine controller. “NASA is developing a plan and updated schedule to replace the engine controller while continuing integrated testing and reviewing launch opportunities in March and April,”  the company stated.

The SLS rocket consists of a core booster and 4 RS-25 engines, every with an impartial flight controller which NASA describes because the “brain” of the engine. And even a minor glitch within the “brain” could cause massive issues for the house company. NASA engineers, nonetheless, are repeatedly testing the SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US.

Once all the ultimate assessments are performed, rocket engineers will conduct a “wet dress” rehearsal, throughout which crews execute every step of launch preparations, together with filling the rocket with propellant.