A clogged vent valve high in the mobile launcher structure supporting the Artemis 1 space launch rocket on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39B forced NASA to scrub the Artemis 1 test after it began feeding D. “Because [to] “The vent valve problem, the launch director has suspended the test for the day,” Jeremy Parsons, NASA’s deputy director of ground systems, wrote in a Twitter post after the scrub. “The team is getting ready to unload the LOX (liquid oxygen) and will start discussing how fast the vehicle can turn for the next attempt.” The stuck vent valve was at the 160-foot (49-meter) level of the mobile launcher, which serves as both a platform and a launcher for the SLS, according to Parsons. Monday’s feed attempt was NASA’s second attempt to fill the base stage of the Artemis 1 322-foot (98 m) SLS rocket with 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of supercooled liquid oxygen and propellant hydrogen in what body calls it a “wet dress rehearsal”. The test, which began on April 1, includes a complete reversal of the launch countdown, including the refueling process. NASA tried to refuel the Artemis 1 rocket on Sunday (April 3rd), but stopped before the propellant began to load due to a problem with the pressure on the mobile launcher that keeps the dangerous gases out of enclosed spaces where technicians work. By Monday, technicians had loaded about 50 percent of the liquid oxygen needed for the refueling test before stopping the day, Parsons wrote on Twitter. Monday’s test was originally intended to simulate a launch countdown that would end at 2:40 p.m. Once this problem was solved, NASA was aiming for a launch time simulation at 6:02 p.m. EDT (2202 GMT) before the stuck valve prompts rubbing. It is unclear whether NASA will be able to recycle for a third refueling attempt on Tuesday (April 5th) or will have to stop to replenish supplies and let its crews and launch controllers rest. Meanwhile, a private mission to the International Space Station is waiting in the wings for its time to fly. SpaceX aims to launch four private astronauts to the International Space Station on the Ax-1 mission for Houston-based Axiom Space. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the mission from Pad 39A, which is located near Pad 39B of Artemis 1. SpaceX and Axiom Space originally planned to launch the Ax-1 mission on April 3, but pushed it back on April 6 to give NASA time to rehearse the Artemis 1 liquid clothing rehearsal. On Sunday, SpaceX postponed the launch again, this time for Friday (April 8). Whether the Ax-1 mission will remain on April 8 or be delayed again depends on NASA plans for the Artemis 1 power test. In another launch traffic problem, SpaceX is also preparing to launch four more astronauts to the space station for NASA on April 20 as part of the Crew-4 mission. The flight will launch three NASA astronauts and a European Space Agency astronaut into orbit in the laboratory. But Crew-4 has to wait for the launch of the Ax-1 mission (because both are launched from the Pad 39A), which in turn is waiting for the completion of NASA’s Artemis 1 liquid clothing rehearsal. Crew-4 is currently scheduled to launch on April 20 and has already seen its own delays in the program. Email Tariq Malik at [email protected] or follow @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram.
