After NASA officially called off the launch of Artemis 1 launch twice, the American Space Agency is set to launch Artemis 1 mission tonight. Earlier this month, NASA announced that it will be launching the megarocket on November 14. However, this launch was later postponed to November 16 due to some challenges. NASA officials have been so busy fixing the problems that prevented the first and second launch attempts a few months ago.
After putting much effort into work, the NASA engineers successfully restored the rocket and got it ready to launch. November 16 Artemis 1 launch is led by the first female NASA launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson. “The moon is going to be the blueprint to how we are going to reach mars and beyond,” said Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson during a press brief.
Despite the challenges that nearly stopped the Artemis 1 launch today, NASA succeeded in lifting the megarocket off its launch pad. Congratulation to NASA for attaining such a milestone.
The challenge that nearly stopped Artemis 1 Launch today
NASA engineers have confidently cleared the Artemis 1 mission for launch to the moon on November 16. The launch system consists of the Orion Spacecraft stacked atop the SLS (Space Launch System). The Artemis 1 mission is planned to launch from the Launch Complex 39B of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a two-hour launch window that will commence at 1.04 AM EST (11.34 AM IST) on November 16. The core stage’s liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks have been successfully filled.
However, the megarocket’s liquid hydrogen valve sprang a leak during the fueling process of the upper stage. The good news is that the NASA Artemis launch team sent the red crew to repair the leak by tightening bolts on the valve. NASA officials specifically trained the red crew to conduct operations within and around a tanked launch vehicle. But the test director of the Artemis 1 launch is calling for a delay of T-10 minutes.
After NASA red crew team successfully fixed the leak, NASA’s Range Flight Safety team commenced testing the connectivity with the rocket to get the megarocket ready to launch. The Range Flight Safety team revealed to the launch director that there might be no go for the mission as one of the assets needed for the launch is currently down. After diagnosing the problem, the Artemis 1 Range Flight Safety team finalized that a malfunctioning ethernet switch primarily caused the issue.
After the Artemis 1 mission was postponed from November 14 to 16, the megarocket was left at the launch complex against the forthcoming launch window. The stormy weather caused slight damage to the rocket. NASA revealed that Orion’s launch abort system became loose due to the storm. An electrical connector placed on the hydrogen umbilical cord may also need to be replaced as NASA engineers are getting inconsistent data from it.
However, NASA engineers are working tirelessly to restore these challenges and successfully send the megarocket to the moon during the November 16 launch attempt. Keep in mind that the first launch attempt was scrubbed because of an engine bleed with one of the core stage’s RS-25 engines. The second launch attempt failed due to a hydrogen leak. NASA officials have confidently announced that the megarocket will liftoff today. The red crew and the entire launch team are working effortlessly to get succeed in today’s launch attempt. After putting in much effort, the American Space Agency successfully launched the Artemis 1 mission today. You can watch the progress of the launch from NASA’s Youtube channel below.
How to track Artemis 1 Mission
NASA has built an online tool that will enable people to track the Artemis 1 mission in real-time. As the Orion spacecraft makes its way around the lunar orbit, you can use this powerful tool to stay updated on the artemis1 mission.
