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Artemis 1: What you need to know about the lunar mission

NASA has postponed the launch of Artemis 1, the mega-rocket that aims to go beyond the Moon and return to Earth. It is the first launch of the agency’s Artemis program, which hopes to return humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972.

Here’s everything you need to know about clean launch.

NASA highlighted these issues that led to the decision to delay:

  • There was an issue with engine bleeding on engine #3, according to Artemis mission manager Mike Sarafin. Super cold liquid hydrogen passes through the engine to prepare it for launch. The other three engines were working as expected.
  • The team knew the engine bleed issue was a risk for this launch campaign, and it would be the first time successfully demonstrating this, Sarafin said Monday.
  • There was also a problem with the vent valve on the inner tank, he added.
  • In addition to these issues, weather conditions were also not favorable during the launch window — there was precipitation early on and lightning later, Sarafin explained.

What happens next: The launch team “will meet again tomorrow” to discuss options, Sarafin told reporters on Monday.

The next possible launch window is Friday: NASA had already determined more than one launch date for Artemis 1 before the launch was delayed to Monday.

The next availability is this Friday, September 2, which is still “in play,” according to Sarafin, but engineers have yet to troubleshoot the issue to determine if NASA can use this launch window.

The September 2 launch window will open at 1:48 pm ET and will last for two hours.

Source: CNN Brasil

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