NASA's new moon rocket could face more launch delays, this time by tropical weather
FILE - The NASA moon rocket stands on Pad 39B before a launch attempt for the Artemis 1 mission to orbit the moon at the Kennedy Space Center, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. On Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, a storm in the Caribbean is threatening to delay NASA's third attempt to launch the rocket. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — — An approaching storm threatens to delay NASA's next launch attempt for its new moon rocket, already grounded for weeks by fuel leaks.
Teams will keep monitoring the forecast and decide no later than Saturday whether to not only delay the test flight, but haul the rocket off the pad and back to the hangar. It's unclear when the next launch attempt would be — whether October or even November — if the rocket must seek shelter indoors.
"I don't think we’re cutting it close," Whitmeyer told reporters. “We’re just taking it a step at a time.” Although hydrogen fuel seeped past newly installed seals during Wednesday's dress rehearsal, the launch team got the leakage down to acceptable levels by slowing the flow and reducing the pressure in the lines. That gave the launch team the confidence to proceed with a Tuesday launch attempt, officials said.
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