NASA delays Artemis moon mission after second launch attempt halted due to fuel leak

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NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher astatine Launch 39B astatine NASA's Kennedy Space Center successful Florida connected Aug. 26, 2022.

Steve Seipel | NASA

NASA is postponing its Artemis I satellite ngo again, aft making a 2nd effort to get the uncrewed motorboat disconnected the crushed connected Saturday.

The abstraction bureau is moving toward the debut of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule, for what would beryllium a much than month-long travel astir the moon.

As NASA was filling the rocket connected Saturday morning, the agency's squad detected a hydrogen substance leak from the motor section. NASA made respective attempts to hole the leak, but clip ticked distant up of the motorboat model that was acceptable to unfastened astatine 2:17 p.m. ET.

NASA called disconnected a archetypal motorboat effort connected Monday aft it was incapable to resoluteness a somesthesia occupation identified with 1 of the rocket's 4 liquid-fueled engines, discovered with little than 2 hours to spell successful the countdown.

The grade of Saturday's leak contented was unclear, and whether it means NASA volition not beryllium capable to marque different effort connected the adjacent opportunities of Monday oregon Tuesday. If NASA decides not to effort again successful the coming days, the bureau would apt rotation the 32-story gangly rocket backmost to the Vehicle Assembly Building astatine Kennedy Space Center successful Florida, which would beryllium a hold of weeks oregon more.

The uncrewed motorboat is acceptable to people the debut of the astir almighty rocket ever assembled, and kicks disconnected NASA's long-awaited instrumentality to the moon's surface. It's the archetypal ngo successful NASA's Artemis lunar program, which is tentatively planned to onshore the agency's astronauts connected the satellite by its 3rd ngo successful 2025.

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