NASA to retry fueling Artemis 2 moon rocket after hydrogen leak

NASA to retry fueling Artemis 2 moon rocket

NASA will attempt a second fueling test of its massive Artemis 2 moon rocket this week. The crucial two-day test, called a wet dress rehearsal, is scheduled to conclude on Thursday, February 19.

The agency plans to load more than 700,000 gallons of supercold propellant into the Space Launch System rocket. This follows a first attempt on January 31 that was cut short by a liquid hydrogen leak.

Repeating a familiar problem

The leak occurred at a connection point called the tail service mast umbilical. This is the same area that caused multiple delays for the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission before its successful launch in November 2022.

After the first test, teams replaced two seals. They conducted a partial fueling "confidence test" on February 12 to check the repair, though a separate issue with ground equipment limited the flow.

That ground-support problem was traced to a filter, which was replaced over the past weekend. NASA now believes the system is ready for a full rehearsal.

The wet dress rehearsal schedule

The test officially began Saturday, February 17, with team members at their stations in Florida's Launch Control Center. They are working toward a simulated launch time of 8:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 19.

During the rehearsal, controllers will run through a detailed countdown sequence. A key part involves practicing the final minutes before launch, including scenarios where a launch might be scrubbed.

• Operators will conduct two runs of the last 10 minutes of the countdown.
• They will pause at T-1 minute and 30 seconds, then resume until T-33 seconds.
• The clock will be recycled back to T-10 minutes for a second run down to just inside T-30 seconds.

What's next for Artemis 2

If this week's test is successful, NASA could target a launch for the crewed mission as early as March 6. Other potential launch dates in March include March 7-9 and March 11.

Artemis 2 will send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon and back. The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

The mission aims to prove the crew-carrying capabilities of the SLS rocket and Orion capsule. It is a critical step before the Artemis 3 moon-landing mission, which could launch as soon as 2028.