NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) program, prime launch processing contractor Jacobs, and their Artemis launch team partners have adapted their countdown procedures headed into the next attempt to send Artemis I on its way to the Moon. Liquid hydrogen (LH2) leaks seen while filling the SLS Core Stage on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida stopped past launch attempts and rehearsals in the spring and summer.
After evaluating LH2 loading and leak resolution techniques during a demonstration test on Sept. 21, the launch team will give themselves more time to complete the process during the next countdown. The countdown timeline was also extended, and the team will take the LH2 loading process more slowly in hopes of finally making it all the way up to and through the terminal countdown.