KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA technicians will repair a fuel line leak for the Artemis I mission on the launch pad, the space agency announced.
After standing down on last Saturday’s launch attempt due to a hydrogen leak, teams have decided to replace the seal to the quick disconnect, NASA said. The link is between the liquid hydrogen fuel feed line on the mobile launcher and the Space Launch System rocket.
The work at the pad requires technicians to set up an enclosure to protect the hardware from the weather and other environmental conditions. However, it enables engineers to test the repair under cryogenic, or supercold, conditions.
Performing the work at the pad also allows teams to gather as much data as possible to understand the cause of the issue.
According to NASA, the rocket may still return to the Vehicle Assembly Building for additional work that does not require use of the cryogenic facilities available only at the pad.
To meet safety requirements, NASA would need to roll the rocket and spacecraft back to the VAB before the next launch attempt to reset the flight termination system’s batteries.
Teams will also check plate coverings on other umbilical interfaces for leaks. With seven main umbilical lines, each line may have multiple connection points.
