"The decision to delay until March at the earliest was made when ground crews were unable stop the rocket's super-cooled hydrogen fuel leaking. This same problem has plagued every single hydrogen rocket since the Apollo Era, and was a well-known issue during the launch of Artemis I in 2022. At a press conference discussing the aborted test, Marcia Dunn, of the Associated Press, pressured NASA to explain: 'How can you still be having the same problem three years later?'"
"During the wet dress rehearsal, NASA simulated a launch by filling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with over 2.6 million litres of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The operation began at 01:13 GMT (20:13 EST) on January 31, and the fuelling operation initially went smoothly. However, the space agency soon found a major hydrogen leak in a component called the 'tail service mast umbilical quick disconnect'."
Artemis II has been delayed until at least March after a wet dress rehearsal failed when ground crews could not stop super-cooled liquid hydrogen leaking. The wet dress rehearsal filled the SLS rocket with over 2.6 million litres of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen starting at 01:13 GMT on January 31. A major hydrogen leak was found in the tail service mast umbilical quick disconnect, the same component that leaked during Artemis I. NASA officials said the issue may involve misalignment, deformation, or debris on the seal and noted lessons from Artemis I had been implemented. The problem reflects a longstanding hydrogen-rocket sealing challenge dating to the Apollo era.
Read at Mail Online
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