Work has begun to repair the leak that blocked Artemis I’s NASA SLS launch

In recent days we have written about how the US space agency has decided to postpone the launch of NASA SLS for the Artemis I mission at least until the end of September (although it is not unlikely to have to wait until October 2022). The motivation concerns the cryogenic hydrogen leak from the lower area of ​​the launch tower that could not be repaired during the launch attempt on September 3.

There were two options NASA he had announced through his executives. One was to repair the leak directly at Launch Pad 39B while the other was to report the Space Launch System rocket and the Mobile Launcher at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) using the crawler-transporter. Both operations have points for and against and the situation is certainly not simple. Now the agency has started to take its first steps, directly to the launch pad.

NASA SLS and Artemis I: repairs to the launch pad are underway

As reported in the past few hours, the space agency has chosen to start repairs directly Launch Pad 39B. This means having a chance to try if repairs to the quick disconnect have been done correctly or not even at cryogenic temperatures. Indeed bring back NASA SLS at VAB would mean being able to do tests without cryogenic liquids (such as liquid hydrogen used as a propellant).

Understanding the behavior of systems with cryogenic temperatures however, it is fundamental because the sealed areas and more generally the whole connection part undergoes considerable thermal stress, which does not happen with other types of liquids present in the VAB. You can also save time by not carrying the space rocket from the launch area to the building and vice versa.

On the other hand, the rocket and its components are exposed to the Florida weather which is certainly not lenient in this period. Additionally, operations such as flight termination system (FTS) battery management can only be performed at the VAB and not at Launch Pad 39B. As for the Cubesats (integrated in the Orion Stage Adapter), the increase in post-launch operational risks should not be excessive, even if it represents a further unknown factor.

In the last post on the official blog we read that “Performing work on the pad also allows teams to collect as much data as possible to understand the cause of the problem. Teams can return the rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to perform additional work that does not require the use of the facilities. cryogenic only available on the pad “.

This could mean that the final choice will be to either complete and test jobs on the pad or report back to the VAB NASA SLS for other additional repairs (which however do not require the use of cryogenic propellant). All the interfacing areas between the launch tower and the rocket will also be inspected in order to avoid further problems. Now it remains to be seen if the Eastern Range (which takes care of the safety of the area) will allow to fly Space Launch System without having reset the batteries of the FTS or if it will be adamant (making it return to the VAB).

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