NASA engineers had replaced leaky seals on two fuel lines of the Artemis 1 moon rocket over the weekend by setting the stage for a fueling test to check if the repairs had worked. 

HIGHLIGHTS
Leaky seals on two fuel lines of the Artemis 1 moon rocket  were replaced by NASA
The leak had forced NASA to call off September 3 launch date for try of Artemis 1
Along with September 23, September 27 date has been also available

Engineers have been working on the tall of the large Artemis 1 Space Launch System (SLS) mega-rocket which has completed the seal replacements on Friday (Sept. 9).

The repair work has been aimed towards plugging a hydrogen fuel leak in an 8-inch line leading into the core stage of the 32-story SLS rocket. That leak had forced NASA to call off a September 3 launch that attempted of Artemis 1. It was the first uncrewed test flight of the Artemis program which had aimed towards coming of astronauts to the moon. At the time of replacing the seal, engineers have also replaced the seal on a smaller 4-inch hydrogen 'bleed line' that even saw a leak in a scrubbed August 29 launch attempt. 

As the repair work has been completed the NASA has been currently making it ready for a fueling test to take a look if the SLS rocket's hydrogen leaks were perhaps fixed. That test would be occurred as early as by Saturday, September 17, and would fill the 322-foot-tall (98 meters) rocket with the 736,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen along with liquid oxygen which would be required for launch. 

As per NASA's update on Friday, 'This demonstration would permit engineers to to keep a look at the new seals under cryogenic or supercold, conditions were expected to launch day and before continuing to the next launch try.'

On Thursday (Sept. 8), NASA officials have mentioned that they were targeting September 23 for next Artemis 1 launch try. A September 27 date has been also available. Both launch opportunities would rely upon NASA fixing the fuel leak and the SLS rocket passing its fueling test. 

NASA has been required to secure a waiver rom the U.S. Space Force thus it would not roll the SLS back to its Vehicle Assembly Building for normal tests of the rocket's flight termination system. It has considered as a system which was designed to destroy the rocket if it veers off the course during its launch.

The future fueling would permit NASA to perform a so-called 'kick-start bleed test' on the SLS rocket's four main engines. That test was designed to set the engines right down to a temperature of minus 420 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 251 degrees Celsius) in order to organize them for their super-chilled propellant. Therefore, the agency was unable to perform the test at the time of first 2 Artemis 1 launch attempt.

Also Read: To Launch on August 29 NASA Prepares Artemis I SLS-Orion Spacecraft