CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Technicians at Kennedy Space Center are working to resolve a liquid hydrogen leak discovered during a recent fueling test for NASA’s Artemis II mission.
The issue surfaced during a “wet dress rehearsal” on Feb. 3 at Launch Complex 39B — a full countdown simulation that includes loading the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with about 700,000 gallons of super-cold cryogenic propellant. Dr. Ken Kremer of Space UpClose told us, “They had to start on the repairs right away, after they drained the propellant.” Engineers traced the elevated hydrogen levels to the tail service mast umbilical, a critical connection point between the rocket and the mobile launcher. Crews replaced seals around two fueling lines after detaching rocket and ground-side interface plates to inspect the area.
Engineers are now analyzing the removed seals and planning additional testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to better understand why the hardware did not seal properly.
“They’re going to do additional testing at NASA Stennis on dynamics and physics to see why it didn’t seal properly in the first place,” Kremer said.
NASA is also adjusting procedures for the next wet dress rehearsal to focus primarily on fueling operations.
There remains a possibility the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft could be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building if more extensive repairs are required. For now, teams are reconnecting hardware and preparing for another wet dress rehearsal.
“They accomplished a lot, 95 percent or so,” Kremer said. “But the last 5 percent is insidious, and they’re not going to be able to launch until they complete 100 percent of the objective.”
NASA continues targeting March as the next potential launch window for Artemis II, the first crewed mission in the Artemis program, but officials say a firm launch date will not be set until a successful wet dress rehearsal is completed.
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