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In February 2024, NASA filled its Artemis 2 rocket with fuel for the second time. The mission is designed to send people back to the Moon for the first time since the 1970s. NASA needed to put over 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen into the rocket. This task was part of a major two-day test called a wet dress rehearsal. The main goal was to see if the rocket could hold the fuel without any leaks. This was a very important moment for the program to prove it was ready.
The first test started on January 31, 2024, but ended early. Workers found a leak in the liquid hydrogen line during that attempt. The leak happened at a part called the Tail Service Mast Umbilical, or TSMU. This line connects the big rocket to the tall launch tower. This problem was serious, but experts were not totally surprised. An earlier test for the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission also found leaks in that same area. These small issues caused significant delays for the first uncrewed mission launch.
Even with these delays, the Artemis 1 mission was a great success. It sent the Orion capsule to the Moon and brought it back safely. This success gave engineers confidence that they could fix the problems encountered during Artemis 2 testing. The Artemis 2 team used what they learned from Artemis 1 to prepare for a safer journey. They aimed to solve these issues before the crewed flight.
After the first test attempt failed, the Artemis 2 teams worked quickly to address the problem. Engineers replaced two seals where the leak had occurred. They did this to ensure the connection was much tighter. After fixing the seals, the team conducted a fueling test with liquid hydrogen on February 12, 2024. They called this a confidence test to check their repairs.