Hurricane Nicole's high winds last Thursday caused a 10-foot section of caulking to peel away near the capsule at the top of the rocket.
After three scrubbed attempts, the uncrewed NASA moon rocket will proceed with the launch early Wednesday morning.NASA remained on track for Wednesday's planned liftoff of its new moon rocket, after determining that hurricane damage provided little extra risk to the test flight.
"We're comfortable flying as is," based on flight experience with this material, Sarafin told reporters Monday night. The nearly monthlong $4 billion mission has been grounded since August by fuel leaks and Hurricane Ian, which forced the rocket back into its hangar for shelter at the end of September. The rocket remained at the pad for Nicole; managers said there wasn't enough time to move it once it became clear the storm was going to be stronger than anticipated.
Engineers never determined what caused the dangerous hydrogen fuel leaks during the two late summer launch attempts. But the launch team is confident that slowing the flow rate will put less pressure on the sensitive fuel line seals and keep any leakage within acceptable limits, said Jeremy Parsons, a deputy program manager.
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