Following a failed try earlier this week, NASA has as soon as once more delayed the beginning of its Artemis 1 Moon mission. The company was pressured to wash Saturday’s launch after employees at Kennedy Space Center failed to repair a persistent leak in a liquid hydrogen connection level on the company’s next-generation Space Launch System tremendous heavy-lift rocket. 

NASA detected the leak at 7:23AM ET and tried to troubleshoot the issue in just a few other ways, however after three failed makes an attempt floor crew really useful a “no go” for Saturday’s launch try. Monday’s try was lower quick after one of many 4 on the SLS couldn’t attain the suitable temperature to ship Artemis 1 into area.    

“The Artemis I mission to the Moon has been postponed. Teams tried to repair a problem associated to a leak within the {hardware} transferring gas into the rocket, however had been unsuccessful,” NASA stated on Twitter. 

Provided NASA can repair the leak on Launch Pad 39B, the company has one final window it might probably try a launch earlier than a serious delay turns into inevitable. If it might probably’t fly by September fifth, NASA might want to roll the SLS again to the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building to conduct a check of the rocket’s flight termination system. At that time, the earliest Artemis 1 might get underway could be September nineteenth, however an October launch could be extra probably.