Computer issue delays first launch

A malfunctioning computer in one of the four main engines of the Space Launch System will delay that vehicle’s first launch to no earlier than March. NASA announced that SLS engineers decided they needed to replace the controller for engine four in the core stage of the SLS. One of two redundant channels in the controller failed to power up consistently during tests of the integrated vehicle at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. That controller operated as expected during the core stage’s Green Run test campaign at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., that concluded with a full-duration static-fire test in March. NASA did not give a schedule for the work but ruled out a launch in the initial window of Feb. 12 to 27 that the agency announced in October. (Source: SpaceNews, 12/20/21) Previous