The task management team will meet on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the data and develop a plan moving forward.
The four RS-25 engines on the Space Launch System (SLS) must be thermally conditioned before ultracold propellant begins to flow through them for liftoff. Launch controllers regulate them by increasing the pressure of the core-stage liquid hydrogen tanks (often referred to as “bleeding”), delivering a portion of the liquid hydrogen at about minus 423°F into the engine. Managers suspect that the problems seen on the No. 3 engine are unlikely to be caused by problems with the engine itself.
During the countdown, launch controllers dealt with several other issues. These problems included a storm in the region that delayed the start of propellant loading operations, a leak at a quick disconnect of an 8-inch line used to fill and discharge core-stage liquid hydrogen, and a valve used to discharge propellant from core-stage tundish tanks. Hydrogen leak.
NASA will host a media conference call on Tuesday, Aug. 30 at approximately 6 p.m. ET to provide an update on data analysis and discussions. While managers have yet to set a date for the next launch attempt, the earliest opportunity will be Friday, Sept. 2, when a two-hour launch window opens at 12:48 p.m.