Artemis II: NASA fixes helium flow issue, eyes April for moon mission launch
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - NASA has fixed the issue that forced it to roll its Artemis II rocket from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center back to the Vehicle Assembly Building last month.
The agency, in an update earlier this week, said engineers repaired a helium flow issue in the Space Launch System rocket's upper stage.
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"Engineers determined a seal in the quick disconnect, through which helium flows from the ground systems to the rocket, was obstructing the pathway," NSAS said in a blog post. "The team removed the quick disconnect, reassembled the system, and began validating the repairs to the upper stage by running a reduced flow rate of helium through the mechanism to ensure the issue was resolved."
The helium flow issue was discovered after NASA had completed a wet dress rehearsal—a critical pre-launch test.
With teams unable to fix the issue at the launch pad, the rocket and the Orion capsule were moved back to the VAB.
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The rollback delayed the Artemis II launch, which was previously targeted for March 6. NASA is now eyeing a potential launch next month, with the next available opportunity on April 1.
After the most recent delay, NASA announced major updates to the Artemis program, including adding another test mission. Artemis III, which was set to land astronauts on the moon, will now be used to practice Orion's rendezvous and docking with the lunar landers.
Artemis II mission: What is it?
Artemis II will be the first crewed mission to the moon in over 50 years.
The mission will send four astronauts on a 10-day flight around the moon.
From left to right, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman stand outside before boarding their Orion spacecraft inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Sp
The Artemis II crew will include NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen.
The Source: This article was written with information from NASA and previous FOX 35 reporting.