Launch controllers were forced to abandon their second attempt this week to launch a crew capsule into lunar orbit with test dummies after NASA’s new moon rocket sprung another hazardous fuel leak on Saturday. The first flight has been postponed for several weeks or perhaps months.
The 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket, the most potent rocket NASA has ever developed, was previously attempted on Monday, but that attempt was also plagued with hydrogen leaks, albeit on a smaller scale. This was in addition to leaks found earlier in the year during countdown drills.
Mission managers made the decision to move the rocket off the launch pad and into the hangar for additional maintenance and system updates following the most recent setback. Before the rocket is relocated, certain testing and work may be done at the launch pad. Officials said that either way, several weeks of work will be required.
The rocket is currently suspended until late September or October as a two-week launch ban is about to begin. A high-priority SpaceX astronaut voyage to the International Space Station slated for early October will be accommodated by NASA.
In particular on a test mission like this where everyone wants to validate the rocket’s systems “before we send four humans up on the top of it,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized that safety is the primary priority.
