NASA replaced a leaking fuel seal on the Artemis I SLS rocket ahead of its scheduled September 23 launch

NASA has completed a major overhaul of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the US space agency recently announced. Leaking fuel seals on the SLS were replaced by engineers last week. Earlier this month one of the fuel lines in the SLS began leaking, forcing the space agency to halt its attempt to launch the Artemis I SLS-Orion spacecraft. NASA also plans to test the fuel to verify that the replacement seal is working as intended. The US space agency has announced that it is targeting September 23 for another attempt to send its Artemis I moon rocket into space.

On Friday, NASA announced in a blog post that it had successfully replaced the seals associated with a hydrogen leak on the Artemis I SLS rocket. As mentioned earlier, the leak forced the agency to halt its second attempt to launch a lunar rocket on September 3.

US Space Agency said An 8-inch line used to fill and drain liquid hydrogen from the core stage and a 4-inch bleed line used to redirect some propellant during refueling operations were both removed and replaced by engineers before the next launch attempt.

According to NASA, the umbilical plates were reattached and inspected by technicians over the weekend, while a refueling demonstration is being prepared for September 17.

NASA recently announced that it is targeting September 23rd for a new attempt to put Artemis I into space. NASA is said to have a 70-minute launch window on September 23 with a 120-minute launch window on October 18 and a September 27 landing on November 5. Teams at NASA are preparing internally to support additional dates. If flexibility is required.

The Artemis team is being instructed by NASA to proceed with the necessary preparations for the test, which will be followed by the launch. This will include preparations to ensure adequate supply of propellants and gases used in refueling operations, including flight operation planning for the mission.