NASA Delays Artemis 1 Launch Again as Engine Flight Controller Misbehaves » Movie Review

NASA has once more delayed its deliberate launch of the uncrewed lunar mission Artemis 1 by not less than a month. The house company had initially focused the launch of the mission on February 12, 2023, however points within the built-in testing programme have compelled one other schedule delay. The house company has mentioned it’s now launch alternatives in March and April. The Artemis programme goals to return astronauts to the Moon’s floor later this decade for a sustainable presence in a bid to succeed in Mars within the 2030s.

Artemis 1, which was first scheduled to launch by the top of this yr, can even be the primary flight of NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket. At least two more flights are deliberate below the programme. Artemis 2 is about for 2023 and Artemis 3 for the next yr when people will stroll on the Moon for the primary time since 1972. But the repeated delays in launching Artemis 1 is prone to push again the subsequent two missions.

NASA mentioned in a weblog publish that its engineers have detected an issue with one of many engine flight controllers. They carried out a series of inspections and troubleshooting however lastly determined to exchange the engine controller. (*1*)  the company mentioned.

The SLS rocket consists of a core booster and 4 RS-25 engines, every with an unbiased flight controller which NASA describes as the “brain” of the engine. And even a minor glitch within the “brain” could cause huge issues for the house company. NASA engineers, nonetheless, are constantly testing the SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US.

Once all the ultimate checks are finished, rocket engineers will conduct a “wet dress” rehearsal, throughout which crews execute every step of launch preparations, together with filling the rocket with propellant.