NASA, after three failed makes an attempt to finish a moist costume rehearsal of its Space Launch System, has determined to return its gigantic rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The transfer will probably imply additional delays to the Artemis 1 uncrewed mission to the Moon.

Space is tough—we get it—however the not too long ago unconcluded SLS moist costume rehearsal was simply plain unhappy.

Indeed, NASA couldn’t even full a modified launch rehearsal this previous Thursday, during which floor crews had been making an attempt to load the rocket’s core stage with cryogenic propellants. A small hydrogen leak on the tail service mast umbilical was blamed for the take a look at stoppage, with NASA saying it will re-run the modified launch take a look at early this week. The house company rapidly modified its plans, nonetheless, asserting on Saturday that the 322-foot-tall (98-meter) rocket will return to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center for repairs.

The SLS moist costume launch rehearsal is being finished upfront of the upcoming Artemis 1 mission, during which NASA will try to launch an uncrewed Orion capsule to the Moon and again, sans lunar landing. Standing on Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rocket was to be absolutely loaded with propellant and a countdown stopped simply previous to the ignition of its 4 RS-25 engines, however neither of these issues occurred. It’s not a incredible end result, as SLS represents a essential part of the Artemis program, which seeks to land U.S. astronauts on the Moon later this decade.

In its press launch, NASA mentioned the choice to roll SLS and the Orion capsule again to the VAB was “due upgrades required at an off-site supplier of gaseous nitrogen used for the test.” The nature of those upgrades and the time required to implement them weren’t disclosed, however the house company mentioned it will “take advantage of the opportunity” to repair the rocket instantly within the hangar.

Specifically, NASA must swap out a defective helium verify valve that prevented floor crews from loading supercooled liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the rocket’s second stage through the second moist costume try. The valve, measuring simply 3 inches lengthy, can solely be accessed when the rocket is contained in the VAB. NASA can even use this time to repair the leaky umbilical, overview the outcomes of the take a look at, go over its schedule, and determine on the remaining record of SLS take a look at necessities.

That NASA must carry out one other moist costume rehearsal now appears probably. Officials with the house company have burdened that nothing is essentially fallacious with the rocket and that they’re merely having to cope with minor, or “nuisance,” points. That might very nicely be the case, however the sheer quantity of points and the incessantly stilted method during which the propellant loading was being carried out, does appear problematic.

The SLS moist costume began on April 1, however a gentle slew of issues prevented the take a look at from operating to its completion. These issues included defective air flow followers on the cell launcher, a misconfigured guide vent valve, overly chilly temperatures and frost throughout propellant loading, and the aforementioned drawback with the third-party provider of gaseous nitrogen. A lightning storm on April 2 and the Axiom Space mission to the International Space Station, which launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 8, additionally contributed to delays.

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director, mentioned it should take floor crews roughly 10 days to organize SLS for its crawling, 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) journey again to the VAB, which will take roughly 12 hours. A second stint to carry out a full moist costume rehearsal, ought to it occur, isn’t imminent. As for the Artemis 1 mission, the subsequent three home windows for launch are June 1 to 16, June 29 to July 17, and July 26 to August 9.

NASA has scheduled a media teleconference for 3:00 p.m. EDT right this moment to debate the state of SLS and the moist costume in additional element. We’ll be updating this artworkicle with new info because it turns into out there.