Digital Desk: NASA has postponed the launch of the Artemis 1 moon mission while engineers seek to resolve an engine issue, according to a tweet from the US space agency.
Teams are on hold at T-40 minutes in
the countdown as engineers continue to evaluate a problem with engine 3, one of
the four RS-25 engines located at the base of the Space Launch System rocket's
core stage. According to the official NASA blog, engineers are considering
strategies to collect as much data as they can.
In order to bleed part of the cryogenic
propellant into the engines and get them to the right temperature range for
starting, launch controllers condition the engines by applying more pressure to
the core stage tanks. Engineers are investigating why Engine 3 isn't being
adequately conditioned during the bleed procedure.
Teams are also examining what appears to be a crack in the material of the thermal protection system on one of the flanges on the core stage. The top and bottom of the intertank are fixed using flanges, which are connecting joints that work like a seam on a garment and allow the two tanks to be connected to it.
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