More delays for NASA's moon rocket test, fueling stalled
ABC News
NASA’s dress rehearsal for its mega moon rocket has been postponed twice now by technical problems that stalled a fueling test
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA’s dress rehearsal for its mega moon rocket is off until at least this weekend because of a pair of technical problems that kept stalling a fueling test.
Launch managers tried twice — once Sunday and again Monday — to load nearly 1 million gallons of fuel into the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket known as Space Launch System, or SLS. Balky fans at the launch pad thwarted the first effort, while an improperly closed valve halted the second attempt.
The countdown test is the last major milestone before the rocket's long-awaited launch debut. The Orion crew capsule atop the rocket will be hurled to the moon in a passenger-less test flight, looping around but not landing before returning to Earth. NASA is targeting June, depending on how the demo goes.
“We didn’t get through everything we wanted, but certainly learned a great deal that we’ll take into our next attempt,” said NASA's Jim Free, who's in charge of exploration systems development.
