During the final test of the SLS launch vehicle, which is supposed to send a crew to the Moon, NASA technical specialists recorded a hydrogen leak. The incident occurred on Monday at the Kennedy Space Center during a simulated pre-launch fueling, jeopardizing the historic flight scheduled for the coming days. This is reported by AP, writes UNN.
Details
The launch team began loading 2.6 million liters of super-cold fuel, but within a few hours, sensors near the bottom of the 98-meter rocket detected an excessive concentration of hydrogen.
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The process was urgently halted when the main stage was only half-filled. Engineers are currently trying to fix the problem using methods developed three years ago during the system's first test flight, which also experienced similar technical failures.
Crew awaiting and time constraints
The four astronauts of the mission, who are in quarantine in Houston, are observing the rehearsal remotely. The success of this operation depends on whether they will be able to embark on the first crewed lunar flyby in half a century this Sunday. The situation is complicated by the anomalous cold snap in Florida, which has already shortened the February launch window by two days.
NASA must manage to launch by February 11, as the peculiarities of the celestial bodies' positions limit the number of favorable days in the month. If the leak cannot be eliminated promptly, the mission will have to be postponed until at least March 2026.