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NASA on Saturday delayed its latest effort to launch a rocket around the moon, the second cancellation within a week. The next possible launch date isn’t any earlier than late September.
The space agency’s engineers decided to call off the flight because of mechanical problems. A leak in a hydrogen fuel line couldn’t be fixed despite multiple attempts to repair it, the agency said.
The leak on Saturday was found in a “quick disconnect” mechanism in equipment used to put liquid hydrogen into a large tank on the rocket. Engineers attempted two ways to stop the leak after detecting it at 7:15 a.m. ET, but were unsuccessful.
NASA on Monday also had experienced technical problems before countdown. It was able to overcome a leak during fueling, but faced difficulties while cooling the rocket’s engines to condition them for liftoff.
The unmanned launch will mark the first of NASA’s Artemis missions that aim to bring astronauts back to the moon for the first time in 1972. The goal is to establish a presence there as a stepping stone toward sending people to Mars.
Combining Engineering Expertise
The launch also will be the first flight of Space Launch System (SLS), a 322-foot-tall rocket, and the Orion spacecraft that will carry a human crew in future lunar missions.
Boeing (NYSE:NYSE:BA), Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings (AJRD) pooled their efforts to build parts of the SLS rocket. Lockheed Martin (LMT) led the development of Orion.
The European Space Agency, Jacobs Engineering Group (J) and the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Lockheed and Boeing, also participated in building the spacecraft.
Seeking Alpha contributor Ivo Kolchev has a Hold rating on Lockheed Marting (LMT) because of risks in not landing government contracts. Columnist Leo Nelisen rates Northrop Grumman (NOC) as a Buy on the outlook for more defense spending.
