SPACE reports that the premiere “of the Space Coast’s newest launch vehicle, carrying a moon lander aiming for the first commercial touchdown, will likely slip to the beginning of 2024.” United Launch Alliance (ULA) “performed a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) of the company’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket over the weekend, which includes loading propellant into the spacecraft and running through launch-day procedures up to the moments before engine ignition.” However, the test did not go to plan. A social media post from ULA CEO Tory Bruno Sunday indicated the test “ran the timeline long so we didn’t quite finish.” Vulcan’s first launch, “which includes the rocket’s Centaur second stage, was scheduled for Dec. 24 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in coastal Florida.” But the incomplete WDR “means that window is likely out.” The next window “opens Jan. 8, and will last four days, the CEO clarified in a follow-up post.” Each of those opportunities “include an instantaneous launch window to accommodate the mission’s main payload: Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander, headed for the moon.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Tag: delayed
Weather Delays NASA Astronauts’ Return from ISS
CNN reports, “Four astronauts are scheduled to return home from the International Space Station (ISS) this week, capping off a nearly six-month mission in space, but rough weather at the crew’s splashdown site is forcing a delay.” NASA’s Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, along with Italian Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency, were all supposed to leave the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Thursday morning.
Full Story (CNN)
NASA to Return Artemis to Primary Hangar Due to Hurricane Ian
Bloomberg reports that “NASA will return its Artemis rocket and spacecraft to its primary hangar as Hurricane Ian approaches Florida, ending any chance of a launch in the next several days.” The Washington Post reports that the Artemis mission’s management team were hoping that “conditions would improve. They didn’t. And when the” team “met Monday morning, it decided it was best to roll the 322-foot-tall rocket, with the spacecraft mounted on top, back the four miles to the massive Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center.” According to the Post, this is a “frustrating and disappointing moment for a program that has been plagued by all sorts of problems over the years: cost overruns and technical delays – which have filled multiple government watchdog reports – have painted a grim picture of lax government oversight and poor contractor performance.”
Full Story (Bloomberg); More Info (Washington Post)
Watch the Artemis I launch live on NASA TV
If Artemis 1 does not launch in October, the next launch window is from Nov. 12 to 27.
Artemis I Launch Delayed to at Least September 27
SPACE reports that NASA announced Monday it is now targeting September 27 for the Artemis I launch. NASA is planning to conduct an SLS fueling test for September 21. NASA officials wrote Monday, “The updated dates represent careful consideration of multiple logistical topics, including the additional value of having more time to prepare for the cryogenic demonstration test, and subsequently more time to prepare for the launch.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Watch the Artemis I launch live on NASA TV
The next anticipated launch window will take place in late September 2022.
Starliner’s Docking at ISS Was Slightly Delayed
CNN reports that The Boeing Company’s Starliner spacecraft docked with the ISS “Friday night at 8:28 p.m. ET.” Starliner’s docking “occurred about an hour later than expected as ground crews worked through a few issues, including a software issue that skewed graphics, sort of like a misaligned GPS map.” The Starliner’s pop-out docking ring malfunctioned on its first docking attempt.
Full Story (CNN)
Weather Delays Return of Ax-1 Mission to Earth
Space News reports that poor weather has delayed the return of the Endeavour spacecraft from Wednesday morning to Wednesday afternoon. The delayed return “could affect the launch of another Crew Dragon on NASA’s Crew-4 mission,” scheduled to launch Saturday.
Full Story (Space News)
SpaceX Delays Next Crew Flight Due To Weather
The AP reports NASA officials announced Monday that a “medical issue has sidelined one of four astronauts assigned to SpaceX’s upcoming flight to the International Space Station and delayed the launch.” The launch has been delayed until Saturday night at the earliest. The unnamed astronaut is affected by a “minor medical issue” unrelated to COVID-19
Full Story (Associated Press)
NASA Delays First Flight of Ingenuity Mars Helicopter to No Earlier Than April 11
SPACE reports that NASA has pushed the earliest date for its Ingenuity helicopter to make its first flight on Mars from April 8 to April 11. NASA’s JPL said in a tweet that Ingenuity “is preparing to do something that’s never been done: controlled, powered flight on another planet. Takeoff is now slated for no earlier than April 11, with data arriving on Earth on April 12.” The helicopter, “located underneath the rover, has been unfurling from Perseverance’s belly, preparing for the” flight. On March 21, the Perseverance rover “dropped a protective shield, which helped the helicopter to endure the perilous descent through Mars’ atmosphere.”
Full Story (SPACE)