By NASA
September 10, 2022
The four RS-25 engines on NASAs Space Launch System rocket produce more than 2 million pounds of thrust. The 4 RS-25 engines last fired throughout the core phase Green Run hot fire test at NASAs Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, in March 2021. Groups will examine the test results and establish strategies for the next launch chance after analyzing the data.
NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Sam Lott
After very first detaching the ground and rocket-side plates on the interface, called a fast detach, for the liquid hydrogen fuel feed line, groups have actually now replaced the seals on the Space Launch System (SLS) rockets core stage connected with the liquid hydrogen leakage identified during the Artemis I introduce attempt on September 3.
Both the 8 ″ line utilized to fill and drain liquid hydrogen from the core phase and the 4 ″ bleed line used to redirect some of the propellant throughout tanking operations were gotten rid of and replaced this week.
Turning up next, service technicians will reconnect the umbilical plates and carry out examinations over the weekend. After that, theyll start getting ready for a tanking presentation as quickly as Saturday, September 17. This presentation will allow engineers to confirm the brand-new seals under cryogenic, or supercold, conditions that are anticipated on launch day, before proceeding to the next launch attempt.
The four RS-25 engines on NASAs Space Launch System rocket produce more than 2 million pounds of thrust. The four RS-25 engines last fired during the core stage Green Run hot fire test at NASAs Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, in March 2021. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
During the operation, teams will practice filling liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in the rockets core stage and interim cryogenic propulsion stage. They will work at getting to a steady replenish state for both propellants. Groups will verify the leakage has been repaired. They will likewise perform the kick-start bleed test and a pre-pressurization test to verify that the ground and flight hardware and software systems can perform the essential functions needed to thermally condition the engines for flight. Teams will examine the test results and establish techniques for the next launch chance after evaluating the information.