It will be at least a few weeks, rather than just a few days, before NASA’s enormous new moon rocket can launch its next try after hitting yet another hitch during its most recent attempt to fly an unmanned test flight.
Numerous factors, such as schedule eccentricities, potential traffic at the launch site, and NASA’s need to be sure it has resolved the most recent problems with leaky fuel, might be blamed for the lengthier delay.
Here’s a rundown of what happened on Saturday, September 3: Launch officials entered this weekend’s attempt to launch the Space Launch System rocket with confidence. The rocket then developed a significant leak as it was refuelling with ultra-cold liquid hydrogen propellant. And on Tuesday, NASA said that it will start making an effort to fix those problems while the rocket was still on the launch pad.
However, in order to “reset the system’s batteries,” the space agency will eventually need to move the rocket back to the close-by Vehicle Assembly Building, a 4.2-mile trip that takes around 10 hours.
Timing will also be challenging when choosing a fresh launch date.
Timing might be crucial.
The rocket is only allowed to launch during designated times each day, known as “launch windows,” which can last anywhere from a half-hour to several hours. However, even those windows don’t open every day. There are also “launch times,” which are time periods of a few days when the moon and Earth align in a way that is advantageous for this mission.