NASA halted Monday the first uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System and the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft due to an issue with one of the rocket’s engines.
The space agency said the scrub was announced after launch controllers encountered an issue getting an RS-25 engine to the proper temperature range for liftoff.
According to NASA, launch controllers must thermally condition the four RS-25 engines before super cold propellant flows through them.
Several additional issues were identified and resolved during the approximately two-day countdown for the launch, including “a leak at the quick disconnect on the 8-inch line used to fill and drain core stage liquid hydrogen and a hydrogen leak from a valve used to vent the propellant from the core stage intertank,” NASA said in a blog.
The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft were scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA has backup launches on Sept. 2 and 5 for the Artemis I mission.
