Artemis 1 launch updates : Mission stalled due to malfunction in core stage

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Bhavna Choudhary
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NASA has stood over the launch of Artemis 1 mission due to malfunction in the core stage of the space launch system encountering an issue getting one of the four RS-25 engines on the bottom of the rocket’s core stage to the proper temperature range for liftoff.

NASA Artemis I missions is a step to land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a stepping stone on the way to Mars. The unmanned Moon flight mission will pave the way for a crewed flight test and upcoming human lunar exploration as part of Artemis. The mission is expected to be launched on August 29 during a launch window that opens at 6:03 PM IST. NASA has set Sept. 2 and Sept. 5 as backup launch dates.

Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA said, “It’s not going to fly until it’s ready.” He described the project as extremely complicated and emphasised the importance of being absolutely certain before launching.

Mike Sarafin, manager of the Artemis mission said “"The combination of not being able to pull engine 3 down plus the vent valve issue team saw at the inner tank is a risk headed to this launch campaign and so we pause”. The crew is putting up a 96-hour recycle to fix the problem, so we begin the countdown.

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In addition to this problem, other problems were found during launch. The quick disconnect on the 8-inch connection used to supply and drain core stage liquid hydrogen was found to be leaking.  There was also a hydrogen outflow from a valve run to release the fuel from the core stage inner tank, NASA stated.

A media teleconference will be held by NASA on Tuesday, August 30, at 6 p.m. EDT to discuss the giant Moon rocket flight test and the unmanned Orion spacecraft, both of which are now at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for the Artemis I lunar mission.

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