NASA on Wednesday discovered another leak of hydrogen fuel while running a test of the space agency’s Artemis moon rocket. Engineers managed to fix the problem as they prepare for another launch attempt next week.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration began the test to see if its teams would be able to fill the rocket’s tanks with super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. In the past month, the agency was forced to scrub two launches during these final stages of fueling the spacecraft.
NASA engineers at about 10 a.m. ET found a hydrogen leak and stopped transferring propellant into the rocket to troublesheet the issue, according to a blog post. The leak was found in a connection between a fuel line and the Space Launch System, as the rocket is known.
Shortly before 1:30 p.m., NASA resumed fueling and managed to fill the tank on the main section of the rocket with liquid hydrogen. The test is considered significant because engineers had been unable to get past the fueling stage during the two previous launch attempts.
NASA is moving ahead with the next step of loading propellants into other parts of the rocket.
The unmanned launch will mark the first of NASA's Artemis missions that aim to bring astronauts back to the moon for the first time since 1972. The goal is to establish a presence there as a stepping stone toward sending people to Mars.
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NASA copes with another fuel leak while testing moon rocket