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NASA waves off Tuesday launch for Artemis moon rocket
Faced with stormy weather ahead of soon-to-be Hurricane Ian, NASA managers Saturday ruled out a third attempt to launch the Artemis 1 moon rocket Tuesday but held open the option of making a run at blastoff on October 2, the current backup date.
VideoLive coverage: Artemis 1 moon rocket to return to hangar as hurricane threatens Florida
NASA has decided to roll the SLS moon rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building as Florida continues to be threatened by Hurricane Ian.
NASA completes cryogenic tanking test on Artemis 1 moon rocket
Engineers filled up the Artemis 1 moon rocket with more than 750,000 gallons of super-cold propellants in a tanking test Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center after successfully troubleshooting another hydrogen leak. NASA's launch director said she was "extremely encouraged" by the test, but officials have not yet committed to another attempt to launch the uncrewed test flight to the moon at the next opportunity Sept. 27.
NASA astronaut launches to space station aboard Russian rocket
Despite severely strained U.S.-Russian foreign relations, an American astronaut joined two Russian cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz spacecraft in Kazakhstan and rocketed into orbit Wednesday on a two-orbit flight to the International Space Station.
VideoLive coverage: NASA fully loads Artemis 1 moon rocket in cryogenic test
NASA's launch team says they got a hydrogen leak under control in a fueling line near the bottom of the Artemis 1 moon rocket's core stage, allowing engineers to continue with a cryogenic tanking test on pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. The leak temporarily halted operations to load more than 750,000 gallons of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System.
NASA preps for SLS fueling test Wednesday
Engineers are ready to reload NASA's Artemis moon rocket with supercold fuel Wednesday to make sure a repaired liquid hydrogen quick-disconnect fitting is leak free, one of two requirements that must be met before the agency can make a third attempt to launch the huge booster September 27 on the program's maiden moonshot.
NASA delays SLS tanking test, next launch opportunity
NASA said Monday it is now targeting Wednesday, Sept. 21, for a critical fueling test on the Space Launch System moon rocket, which could allow for another attempt to launch the unpiloted Artemis 1 lunar test flight as soon as Sept. 27, assuming engineers find no problems and the Space Force approves an extension for the rocket's range safety system. The updated schedule is a four-day delay for the SLS tanking test and next launch opportunity.
NASA officials evaluating late September launch dates for Artemis 1 moon mission
NASA officials said Thursday they hope to try again to launch the Artemis 1 moon rocket from the Kennedy Space Center as soon as Sept. 23 or 27, but that schedule comes with two big caveats: A repair to a leaky liquid hydrogen fueling line must hold tight during a tanking test next weekend, and the Space Force's Eastern Range has to extend the certification of batteries on the moon rocket's flight safety system.
Hydrogen leak delays moonshot by at least several weeks
NASA's star-crossed Space Launch System moon rocket was grounded for the second time in five days Saturday, this time by a large hydrogen leak in a fuel line quick-disconnect fitting that will delay the $4.1 billion booster's maiden flight by several weeks, likely into October.
VideoLive coverage: NASA to conduct Artemis 1 repair work at the launch pad
NASA says it will carry out repairs and tests on the Artemis 1 rocket at the launch pad rather than immediately rolling back to the hangar. The agency needs the Space Force to extend the certification of flight termination batteries if it wants to make another launch attempt in September. Otherwise the rocket will have to return to the assembly building and face a lengthy delay.