Page 3 - Nasa Moon Mission

NASA: Moon rocket endured hurricane, set for 1st test flight next week

NASA's moon rocket needs only minor repairs after enduring a hurricane at the pad and is on track for its first test flight next week, a top official said on Friday. Right now, there's nothing preventing us" from attempting a launch on Wednesday, said NASA's Jim Free, an associate administrator. The wind never exceeded the rocket's design limits as Hurricane Nicole swept through Kennedy Space Centre on Thursday, according to Free. But he acknowledged if the launch team had known in advance that a hurricane was going to hit, they likely would have kept the rocket indoors. The rocket was moved out to the pad late last week for its USD 4.1 billion demo mission. Gusts reached 100 mph (160 kph) atop the launch tower, but were not nearly as strong farther down at the rocket. Computer models indicate there should be no strength or fatigue issues from the storm, even deep inside the rocket, Free noted. NASA had been aiming for an early Monday launch, but put it on hold for two days becau

NASA again delays Artemis I Moon mission launch due to tropical storm

NASA was monitoring Nicole and has decided to re-target a launch for the Artemis I mission for November 16

Nasa again gears up for Artemis I Moon mission launch attempt on Nov 14

After several failed attempts, the US space agency is hopeful that on November 14, it will be able to finally launch the Artemis I Moon mission into space

Nasa eyes Nov 14 as next launch date for Artemis I Moon mission

The US space agency has now set the next launch attempt of the Artemis I Moon mission for November 14, after facing two failed attempts due to liquid hydrogen gas leak in one of the engines.

NASA delays Artemis I launch for third time due to potential hurricane

NASA is skipping next week's launch attempt of its new moon rocket because of a tropical storm that's expected to become a major hurricane. It's the third delay in the past month for the lunar-orbiting test flight featuring mannequins but no astronauts, a follow-up to NASA's Apollo moon-landing programme of a half-century ago. Hydrogen fuel leaks and other technical issues caused the previous scrubs. Currently churning in the Caribbean, Tropical Storm Ian is expected to become a hurricane by Monday and slam into Florida's Gulf coast by Thursday. The entire state, however, is in the cone showing the probable path of the storm's center including NASA's Kennedy Space Centre. Given the forecast uncertainties, NASA decided Saturday to forgo Tuesday's planned launch attempt and instead prepare the 322-foot (98-metre) rocket for a possible return to its hangar. Managers will decide Sunday whether to haul it off the launch pad. If the rocket remains at the pad, NASA could try for an Oct

NASA again readies Artemis I Moon mission, troubleshoots hydrogen leak

The US space agency has once again readied its Artemis I moon mission and met all objectives, including the key hydrogen leak threat which has resulted in two failure attempts.

NASA's new moon rocket hit by fuel leaks in test ahead of final launch

NASA's new moon rocket sprouted more fuel leaks Wednesday in a test ahead of a possible launch attempt next week, but engineers managed to get them down to acceptable levels. There was no immediate word on whether NASA would try for a liftoff Tuesday given the sporadic nature of the hydrogen leaks, which have bedeviled the launch team for months. "Leaving a lot of folks scratching their heads on this one," said Launch Control's Derrol Nail. The daylong demo had barely begun when hazardous hydrogen fuel began escaping at the same place and same time as before, despite new seals and other repairs. Engineers halted the flow and warmed the lines in hopes of plugging the leak, and proceeded with the test. But the leak persisted before dropping to acceptable levels. Hours later, another leak cropped up elsewhere. Nail said all test objectives were met. But managers need to review the results before determining whether the 98-metre rocket is ready for its first test flight, a lunar-orbiti

NASA Artemis I: Fuel seals repaired, likely to launch moon rocket on Sep 23

NASA had to scrub two launch attempts as the rocket experienced technical glitches, including a fuel leak

After delay, NASA shortlists two dates for Artemis moon mission launch

But there are still several things that could stand in the way of getting the Artemis I mission off the ground, any of which could push the launch date back further

Elon Musk throws a solution for Nasa's Artemis 1 mission to moon

As NASA scrubbed the Artemis 1 uncrewed mission to the Moon once again, Elon Musk on Sunday came up with a suggestion for the ailing mission that will finally land astronauts on the lunar surface

NASA not to go for Artemis I launch in early Sep after 2 failed attempts

The US space agency has decided not to attempt the launch of the Artemis I Moon mission in early September as the teams were reviewing options after two failed attempts

Fuel leak disrupts NASA's second shot at launching moon rocket Artemis I

NASA's new moon rocket sprang another hazardous leak Saturday, as the launch team began fuelling it for liftoff on a test flight that must go well before astronauts climb aboard. For the second time this week, the launch team began loading nearly 1 million gallons of fuel into the 322-foot rocket, the most powerful ever built by NASA. Monday's attempt was halted by a bad engine sensor and leaking fuel. As the sun rose, an over-pressure alarm sounded and the tanking operation was briefly halted, but no damage occurred and the effort resumed, NASA's Launch Control reported. But minutes later, hydrogen fuel began leaking from the engine section at the bottom of the rocket. NASA halted the operation, while engineers scrambled to plug what was believed to be a gap around a seal. The countdown clocks continued ticking toward an afternoon liftoff; NASA had two hours Saturday to get the rocket off. NASA wants to send the crew capsule atop the rocket around the moon, pushing it to the li

The many questions Artemis will answer as humans look to Mars via moon

Parked near the moon, how do they eat, breathe, cope with isolation, radiation?

NASA to make another attempt of launching Artemis Moon Rocket on Saturday

NASA will try again Saturday to launch its new moon rocket on a test flight, after engine trouble halted the first countdown this week. Managers said Tuesday they are changing fueling procedures to deal with the issue. The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket remains on its pad at Kennedy Space Center, with an empty crew capsule on top. It's the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA. The Space Launch System rocket, or SLS, will attempt to send the capsule around the moon and back. No one will be aboard, just three test dummies. If successful, it will be the first capsule to fly to the moon since NASA's Apollo program 50 years ago. During Monday's launch attempt, one of the four main engines in the rocket's core stage could not be chilled sufficiently prior to planned ignition moments before liftoff. The three others came up just a little short. The chilling operation will be conducted a half-hour earlier for Saturday afternoon's try, once fueling is underway at the pad, officials said. J

NASA engineers assess data after aborting Artemis 1 Moon mission launch

NASA engineers were evaluating data gathered during the Artemis I launch attempt, which was scrubbed owing to a technical glitch in one of the rocket engines

Explained: NASA postpones Artemis 1 launch; here's what we know so far

Artemis 1 was supposed to orbit the moon, deploy some satellites, and settle into the orbit. It was meant to test SLS rocket and the Orion crew capsule

Fuel leaks and possible crack threaten to delay NASA moon rocket launch

Fuel leaks and a possible crack discovered during final liftoff preparations threatened to delay the launch of NASA's mighty new moon rocket Monday morning on its shakedown flight with three test dummies aboard. As precious minutes ticked away, NASA repeatedly stopped and started the fuelling of the Space Launch System rocket with nearly 1 million gallons of super-cold hydrogen and oxygen because of a leak. The fuelling already was running nearly an hour late because of thunderstorms off Florida's Kennedy Space Centre. The leak appeared in the same place that saw seepage during a dress rehearsal back in the spring. Then a second apparent leak in a valve turned up, officials said. Later in the morning, a crack or some other defect was spotted on the core stage the big orange fuel tank with four main engines on it with frost appearing around the suspect area, NASA officials said. Engineers began studying the buildup. The rocket was set to lift off on a mission to put a crew caps

NASA fuels moon rocket ahead of liftoff on first test flight today

NASA began fuelling its new moon rocket early Monday for liftoff on a test flight to put a crew capsule into lunar orbit for the first time in 50 years. Thunderstorms delayed the fuelling operation by an hour. The threat of lightning diminished enough to allow the launch team to proceed with loading the rocket's tanks. But it was uncertain how much the stalled work might shorten the two-hour launch window. No one was inside the Orion capsule atop the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket at Kennedy Space Center. Instead, three test dummies were strapped in for the lunar-orbiting mission, expected to last six weeks. It's the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA, out-muscling the Saturn V that carried astronauts to the moon a half-century ago. Thousands of people jammed the coast to see the Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket soar. Rain pelted the launch site as the launch team finally began loading more than 1 million gallons of super-cold fuel into the rocket. Forecasters remained optimist

NASA's Artemis 1 mission to Moon to launch today: All you need to know

Artemis 1 is going to be the first flight of the new Space Launch System. This is a "heavy lift" vehicle, as NASA refers to it

Critical test flight for NASA's return to moon scheduled for Monday

If all goes well, a massive uncrewed rocket will lift off on Monday morning, then circle the moon in an orbit that will take it deep into space before it returns to Earth 42 days later