NASA’s Artemis I team at around 5:10 p.m. ET on April 14 after observing a leak of liquid hydrogen from the umbilical of the tail service tower that sits at the bottom of the mobile launcher and connects to the rocket’s core stage. Wet rehearsal test is over.The leak was discovered during a liquid hydrogen loading operation and prevented the team from completing the test.
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Before concluding the test, the teams also achieved the test goal of the temporary cryogenic propulsion stage by cooling the lines used to load the propellant into the upper stage. They did not load the stage with any propellant due to a problem with a helium check valve discovered a few days ago.
When the team paused propellant loading, the rocket’s core-stage liquid oxygen tanks were about 49 percent full, and the liquid hydrogen tanks were about 5 percent full before the hydrogen leaked.
The team is now working to expel the propellant from the rocket. They will examine the “umbilical” connection, review the data, and establish a forward plan to address the liquid hydrogen leak.
NASA plans to hold a media conference call on April 15 to provide an update on the next steps for troubleshooting and wet rehearsal testing.