Dammer 
I worry this could become an extremely costly case of change mis-management. If this ends up costing 10x the initial estimate, I will lose my mind.
As much as I respect the BBC, I refrained from comment until the official update by NASA today (was just posted). Actually, the fuel line quick disconnect is being repaired on the pad. The engineering team, as of today’s official update, has made no decision yet to roll the stack back to the VAB. As for the batteries, the team is weighing the trade between risk to the entire vehicle rolling it back to the VAB (and then back to the pad) and recertifying the batteries. The risk of breaking something else every time that monster is moved is non-trivial. I’d say stay tuned to the one and only official source of mission status and leave speculation to the media, which isn’t privy to the deliberations of the engineering team and really has only one priority, being the first with speculation. We are going to fly.
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Was the fuel line issue designed and manufactured by Boeing, Airbus Defence and Space, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman or Aerojet Rocketdyne?
Trying to get an idea of the components.
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Boeing built the core stage. Whether they own the quick disconnect between the mobile launcher and main core tank I don’t know. I’ve never seen the contractor line of responsibility for components broken down to that level. It won’t be Airbus for sure. Airbus built the European Service module, which is an adapter between the crew module and the OSA (another adapter between Orion and the RL10 engine that serves for post-separation trajectory insertion). Aerojet builds the RS-25 main engines (plus the Rl10), not the core tank. Can be ruled out as well, I’d say.
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Good news…glad to hear my speculation proved to be incorrect (for now?).
SEE
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On a sad day, a bit of science and technology news. NASA is now looking at 23 September for a next launch window for Artemis 1. All repair work on the leaky quick disconnect is being completed on the pad. And the most interesting tidbit is a request to extend the battery recertification requirement (it’s related to the pyro system in the SLS for manual destruction of the vehicle in the event of the launch going awry, range safety). There is the engineering trade I speculated about in action. NASA is awaiting a decision on that request. It will obviate the need for rollback to the VAB.
Repair Work Underway, Preparations Continue for Next Launch Opportunity – Artemis (nasa.gov)
Stay tuned. The next try could be as soon as two weeks.
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Thanks for the update and translations from NASA speak to plain language.
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I read an interesting blub regarding the issues NASA faces with the specific type of fuel and engines on Artemis. A good quick read. Couldn’t upload PDF, so pasted it here.
NASA working toward September Artemis I launch. In an update with reporters on
Thursday, NASA officials said that if everything goes well they will target the dates
of September 23 or 27 for their next attempt to launch the Artemis I mission on
the Space Launch System rocket. The agency’s second attempt to launch the SLS
rocket was scrubbed on September 3 after a hydrogen line sprang a leak where it
connects to the rocket. A lot has to go right to make those dates, said NASA’s chief
of exploration systems development, Jim Free. For example, NASA is working to
repair the leak in a “quick-disconnect” where the hydrogen line attaches to the
rocket.Waivers sought …. After this repair, the agency will attempt a fueling test no earlier
than September 17, during which they will load the core stage and the upper stage
with liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellants to ensure they have adequately fixed
the hydrogen leak. Additionally, the agency has also submitted a waiver request to
the Eastern Range, which is operated by the US Space Force. NASA needs a waiver
on battery re-test requirements for the rocket’s “flight termination system,” which
would be activated in case of a problem during launch. Range officials previously
granted a waiver extension from 20 to 25 days, but this would extend that beyond
40 days. Should the repairs fail, or the waiver not be granted, the rocket would roll
back to the Vehicle Assembly Building and launch no earlier than October 17, and
possibly not until November.The perils of liquid hydrogen. After the SLS rocket’s scrub on September 3, Ars
wrote about the challenges of working with liquid hydrogen and the first stages of
large rockets. Over its lifetime, due to this complexity, the similarly fueled space
shuttle on average scrubbed nearly once every launch attempt. Some shuttle flights
scrubbed as many as five times before finally lifting off. For launch controllers, it
never really got a whole lot easier to manage the space shuttle’s complex fueling
process, and hydrogen was frequently a culprit.Keeping the workforce intact .… So why did NASA continue using liquid hydrogen as
a fuel for the SLS rocket if it is so difficult to work with and there are easier-tohandle alternatives such as methane or kerosene? One reason is that hydrogen is a
very efficient fuel, meaning that it provides better “gas mileage” when used in
rocket engines. However, the real answer is that Congress mandated that NASA
continue to use space shuttle main engines as part of the SLS rocket program. This
allowed traditional space contractors to continue to win lucrative awards from
NASA for their work on shuttle-related hardware
Thanks. That answers a question I had. I didn’t know scrubs were so frequent and that hydrogen leaks were typical. I figured the bugs would have been worked out during the shuttle program.
A Paul Harvey moment.
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Heads up PSA space cadets and Artemis 1 fans, we’re back in business post hurricane Ian. The stack rode out the hurricane untouched in its VAB cocoon. All the quick connect LOX, LH2 cryo testing that was done on the pad after the seal repair was a success. The flight termination batteries are being refreshed and the team is doing some routine touchup of the thermal control surfaces while the bird is in the nest. November 14, launch window opens at 12:07 EST. No more hurricanes and a beautiful launch would be a nice pre-Thanksgiving gift to the country. And a great morale booster for everyone in Florida.
Go Artemis Go!
NASA Sets Date for Next Launch Attempt for Artemis I Moon Mission – Artemis
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Awesome and more awesome! Thanks for keeping us up to date.
I for one dont understand how we can be killing each other in the streets at one end of the spectrum and celebrating man’s scientific accomplishments and future in space on the other end.
Thanks for the encouraging heads up!!
Best wishes
Here’s an interesting one while we wait:
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Attention all you PSA Space Cadets, NASA update an hour ago confirms Artemis 1 is good for flight on Wednesday the 16th, bright and early launch window starting at 1:04 EST. The Cape, Pad 39B and the vehicle all withstood Nicole without damage. The current forecast for the Cape overnight Tuesday to Wednesday is a cloud here and there, 68 F, light winds. Oh and no tropical storms or hurricanes brewing off the coast. Perfect for a spectacular nighttime launch. Skip the late night TV and dial into something ‘out of this world’.
Let’s Go!
Teams Conduct Check-outs, Preparations Ahead of Next Artemis I Launch Attempt – Artemis (nasa.gov)
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…And now, from the - “If you see a good idea, copy it” - portion of our report…
China scrapping plans for expendable super heavy lifter. In 2016 China’s state-owned rocket developer, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, began designing the “Long March 9” rocket. It looked more or less like the large heavy lifter NASA was designing at the time, the Space Launch System. Like NASA’s large rocket, the Long March 9 had a core stage and boosters and was intended to be fully expendable. The country set a goal of flying the rocket by 2030.
Seeking a reusable first stage … But in recent years, China has begun evolving these plans, particularly as SpaceX has demonstrated the reusability of kerosene-fueled first stages and gotten deep into developing its fully reusable Starship rocket. In various presentations, Chinese officials have discussed the possibility of incorporating reusable elements into the Long March 9 design. Now, China has made that direction official. Liu Bing, director of the general design department at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, confirmed that plans for a fully expendable Long March 9 have been dropped, Ars reports. The goal, Liu said, is to develop a large rocket with a reusable first stage capable of delivering 150 metric tons to low Earth orbit. (submitted by EllPeaTea and Ken the Bin)
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Per NASAs mission status review today, posted about an hour ago, the bird is a “Go” for launch. Official countdown has begun with countdown milestones summarized in today’s update.
Managers Give “Go” to Proceed Toward Launch, Countdown Progressing – Artemis (nasa.gov)
Forecast at the Cape per the Space Force is for 90% probability of conditions favorable for launch. Been waiting for this for … decades … since Apollo.
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I wonder how this impacts Tiangong expansion.
Core stage LH2 fast fill is complete. This is where we got stuck last try because of the umbilical quick connect seal problem. Phew! The NASA TV live feed is up. You can see the tank outgassing. The camera shot from above the crew capsule about midpoint up the launch abort system is enough to give one a nose bleed. I’ve got that feeling … we’re going to fly.
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