Artemis 1 launch updates: NASA scrubs launch due to engine issue of SLS rocket

"While we hoped to see the launch of Artemis I today, the attempt provided valuable data as we test the most powerful rocket in history", US Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted. "Our commitment to the Artemis Program remains firm, and we will return to the moon". She was one of the VIPs who were at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to witness the launch of Artemis I.

"Safety is always first. Following today's Artemis I launch attempt, NASA Artemis teams are working through an issue with engine number 3, and expect to give a news briefing later today", NASA said in a tweet.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that the scrubbing of Artemis I due to an issue in one of the rocket's engines is 'illustrative' of the complexity around the new Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft. The launch, which was scheduled to take place during a two-hour window starting 6:03 pm IST, was cancelled for the day at T-40 minutes of the countdown. 

"Launches are always better safe than sorry. It's important the launch teams feel 100% comfortable with launch, every time, no exceptions", European Space Agency's (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher tweeted. "I am confident we will have a new launch date soon!". ESA has contributed the Service Module which would power the Orion spacecraft.

NASA has backup dates for the launch of Artemis I on September 2 and September 6 when the launch window opens at 10:18 pm IST and 2:42 am IST, respectively. However, the probability of the launch would be ensured only if NASA resolves the issue with the SLS rocket's malfunctioned engine. The issue, according to NASA, was the failure to get the RS-25 engines on the bottom of the core stage to the proper temperature range for liftoff through the 'engine bleed' method.

The agency says that the rocket and Orion spacecraft remain in a safe and stable configuration and the engineers continue to gather data. 

NASA says that the hold in the countdown at T-40 minutes continues as the mission teams are assessing the issue around Engine 3. "Engineers are looking at options to gather as much data as possible", NASA said in an update.

NASA has postponed the launch of Artemis I at T-40 minutes of the countdown due to a temperature problem involving Engine 3 of the SLS rocket's core stage. New dates and updates to follow.

NASA has put the Artemis I mission on hold due to an issue in Engine 3 of the SLS rocket's core stage. The core stage consists of four RS-25 engines which would power the rocket after the separation from the twin boosters. 

The mission teams noticed a line of ice building up on the inner tank of the core stage. The engineers concluded that the ice did not form due to a crack in the tank itself but by the air that was frozen by the tank. The tanks are filled with 1,96,000 gallons of liquid oxygen (cooled to -294°C) and 5,38,606 gallons of liquid hydrogen (cooled to -423°C). 

"The countdown clock is on hold at T-40 minutes. The hydrogen team of the SLS rocket is discussing plans with the Artemis I launch director", NASA said in a statement. The engineers earlier reported an issue while conditioning one of the RS-25 engines (engine 3) on the bottom of the core stage. 

Artemis I would see the Orion spacecraft travel where no human-rated spacecraft has ever gone before. After its separation from the second stage of the SLS rocket, Orion will head solo toward the Moon and get as close as 100 km above the lunar surface. The spacecraft would then use the Moon's gravity to propel itself around 64,000 km beyond the Moon, which would take it over 4,50,000 km from Earth. When the mission ends 42 days later, Orion would have travelled a total distance of over two million km.

(Orion's planned flight path; Image: NASA)

The mission is scheduled to liftoff when the launch window opens at 6:03 pm IST, however, it might get delayed a bit, according to NASA's commentators. 

As the sun has risen above the horizon in Florida, people have started flocking with their cameras near the Kennedy Space Center to witness the launch of Artemis I. NASA's SLS rocket will launch when the launch window opens at 6:03 IST, however, this might slip further according to the commentators.

The SLS rocket's Orion Stage Adapter will be carrying ten CubeSats that will be deployed after the Orion spacecraft breaks free for a solo journey to the Moon. The OSA connects the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) to the Orion spacecraft.

These CubeSats will conduct several experiments while in space which include mapping the water distribution on the lunar surface and measuring the effects of outer space on organisms. 

US Vice President Kamala Harris is in Florida to watch the SLS rocket liftoff for the Artemis I mission. According to the VP's office, she will watch the mission launch from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), AP reported.

"The Artemis program is the beginning of the next era of what we have a history and a tradition of doing, of providing vision and inspiring innovation in a way that is going to benefit all mankind and womankind. And so I'm very excited to be here. Looking forward to tomorrow", the VP said after landing in Florida's Orlando on Sunday. 

The uncrewed Artemis I mission will also be carrying three mannequins that have been strapped to the seats inside Orion. One of these mannequins is the 'Moonikin Campos' which has been named after NASA engineer Arturo Campos and is equipped with sensors to gather data on spaceflight.

The other two are female torsos named Helga and Zohar which are a part of a study called Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (MARE), a joint initiative of the German and Israel Space Agency. These two mannequins will don a special radiation suit named 'AstroRad' that will measure the amount of radiation astronauts would experience during their lunar trip inside Orion.

The two core stage tanks (liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen) of the SLS rocket is now full and mission teams have received a 'go' to load fuel in the upper stage. The upper stage is named the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) which will provide the final push to the Orion spacecraft toward the Moon. The ICPS will also be loaded with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and it has a maximum thrust capacity of 24,750 lbs.

The mission teams have identified an issue during the planned liquid hydrogen engine 'bleed test' of the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS). Currently, the engineers are troubleshooting an issue conditioning one of the RS-25 engines (engine 3) on the bottom of the core stage. 

NASA explains that "Launch controllers condition the engines by increasing pressure on the core stage tanks to bleed some of the cryogenic propellant to the engines to get them to the proper temperature range to start them". The mission team is currently troubleshooting Engine 3 since it is not properly being conditioned through the bleed process.

The collaborators of the Artemis I mission (NASA and ESA) are sending several technologies that would be tested and ultimately benefit astronauts during future missions. One of these technologies is Amazon Alexa, which has been chosen for voice commands that the engineers want to test for Artemis missions. Integrated inside the crew module, the AI-drive digital assistant will demonstrate how astronauts and flight controllers can use human-machine interface technology for space exploration. 

Elon Musk, in his recent tweet, wished 'godspeed' to Artemis I as the mission is ready to take off to the Moon today. Artemis I will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center when the launch window opens at 6:03 pm IST.

The Orion spacecraft, which measures 50 feet tall, is comprised of the Crew Module, the Service Module and the Launch Abort System (LAS). After the LAS is jettisoned in the low-Earth orbit, the Service Module, mounted with the Crew Module, will begin its journey to the Moon. The Service Module is equipped with four massive solar panels that will convert sunlight into electricity for Orion. 

The Block 1 Crew configuration of the SLS rocket being used for Artemis I stands 322 feet tall and is capable of generating 8.8 million pounds of maximum thrust. NASA says that SLS will liftoff as the most powerful rocket and is 15% more powerful than the Saturn V rocket used during the Apollo program. It has two solid boosters on the sides that will provide the initial and 75% of the total propulsion.

Weighing over 26 lakh kg (5.75 million lbs), the rocket can send more than 27 metric tons or 59,500 pounds to orbits beyond the Moon. The two boosters will burn six tons of solid propellant each second for the first two minutes after launch and fall into the Pacific Ocean after separating from the core stage.

(The SLS rocket; Image: NASA)

The core stage, on the other hand, will ignite its four RS-25 engines that will consume 1,500 gallons of propellant each second for the next few minutes during its journey 'uphill'. The rocket's topmost part is mounted with the Orion spacecraft (European Service Module + Crew Module) and the Launch Abort System.

NASA has completed the propellant procedure in its SLS rocket's core stage which is now filled with 1,96,000 gallons of liquid oxygen (cooled to -294°C) and 5,38,606 gallons of liquid hydrogen (cooled to -423°C). The core stage has four RS-25 engines that will power the rocket after the two solid boosters separate. 

You can tune in to NASA's official YouTube channel to watch the Artemis I launch. The live coverage begins at 4 pm IST and the launch will be aired on the agency's website, NASA app, NASA TV and other social media handles as well. 

NASA's ambition to colonise the Moon first is to actually prepare for missions to Mars with the ultimate goal of making humans multiplanetary. As NASA administrator Bill Nelson said, astronauts on the Moon will learn the nuance of living and techniques of survival to practice for the challenging Martian environment. "We’re going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. While maintaining American leadership in exploration, we will build a global alliance and explore deep space for the benefit of all", says NASA. 

The SLS rocket's tanks are being loaded with the propellant before the scheduled liftoff at 6:03 pm IST. "The liquid oxygen tank is now 75% filled. Liquid hydrogen is at 48%. Both liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen are currently in fast fill. Teams are monitoring closely", NASA said in an update. Teams have also received a 'go' to fill the upper stage tank. 

Lifting off from the NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Artemis I mission is a test launch of the Space Launch System (SLS rocket) and the uncrewed Orion spacecraft. The launch is scheduled at 6:03 pm IST with an objective to test the abilities of the new rocket and Orion for future astronaut missions. Artemis I has a mission duration of a little over 42 days and will end with Orion's splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on October 10.