cooling problems preliminary launch led to the cancellation of the launch of the Orion capsule on board SLS rocket. So, at 14:37 (Spanish peninsular time) this Monday, August 29, the first phase starts Artemis Programwith which it is planned to send people back to our satellite in 2025.
This would have been the first 42-day rehearsal of what would become the first part of the Artemis astronaut journey.
At the second stage, which is scheduled for 2024, exactly the same flight with the crew on board will take place. And finally, in 2025 they will not just go into orbit. Orion will dock with the Gateway orbiter, and from there the crew will be taken to the Moon on a lander. This is still far away, but for now it remains to be hoped that in second attempt, next September 2nd.
Some previous problems
The SLS launch window for the successful advance of Orion to the Moon opened at 14:33 Spanish Peninsular Time and 07:33 Mexico. Since then, they have only had two hours before launch. Since this is not possible, we will have to wait until September 2 at 16:48 UTC (6:48 pm CST) when a new window opens. Even if it is still not possible, the next one will be September 5th.
The problems started during engine cooling taskswhich are always carried out in advance, with sufficient time. There were mainly two accidents that worried the scientists of Artemis. At first it was third engine RS-25 rocket SLS, not responding to the usual process of hydrogen cooling.
After several unsuccessful measurements, an attempt was made close the valves from the other three engines, so that hydrogen passes with high pressure, but it did not work either. In addition, engineers at Cape Canaveral had to deal with the appearance of frost, which could indicate a leak. Given these two incidents, there was nothing left to do but stop the countdown when only 40 minutes remained before the opening of the launch window.
And as if that weren’t enough, just before the launch window opened, the weather changed, putting the procedure in even greater danger. Today was not the day and there was no other choice but to Cancel.
Mission of Artemis
The goal in this first step is to simply verify that both the Orion spacecraft and the SLS most powerful rocket ever built, they can easily get to the moon. In addition, they carry three dummies on board, which are responsible for measuring the level of radiation that the astronauts will have to endure in flight.
This is very important because the long-term mission of the Artemis program is building a base on the moon. This will no longer be a small visit to our satellite, but a long stay. It is important that the astronauts are prepared to be there for a long time, as is currently being done on the International Space Station. And despite the Apollo missions, the Moon is still uncharted territory. The more steps you take to prepare, the better.
Source: Hiper Textual
