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NASA is replacing leaking seals on its moon rocket on the launch pad in hopes of launching it for its first test flight by the end of this month, the Associated Press reported.

The US space agency said they will do another test after the repair to make sure all hydrogen fuel leaks have been fixed. 

If that test goes well, and if the US Space Force extends the flight safety waiver, NASA could make another attempt to launch the 98-meter rocket in late September.

Otherwise, she will be returned to the hangar for additional work, delaying launch until at least October. 

A series of hydrogen fuel leaks and other problems halted successive launch attempts last week.

Attached to the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, the most powerful ever created by NASA, is the Orion crew capsule with three test dummies.

The space agency wants to send it into lunar orbit for a test flight before carrying out a flight with astronauts in 2024.

NASA is ready for a test flight of a rocket to the moon

This mission will pave the way for the first manned landing on the moon in 50 years, currently scheduled for 2025.

The first attempt at a new launch space agency can be made on September 23. 

For a late September launch, NASA needs permission from the US Space Force, which oversees the rocket's self-destruct system.

Batteries are needed to activate the system if the missile deviates from its course towards populated areas.

These batteries must be tested periodically, and this can only be done in the hangar.

The military would have to extend their certification by an additional two weeks or more to avoid returning the missile back to the hangar.

Any movement of it between the hangar and the launch pad "leads to routine wear and tear, and I don't want that to happen," said chief engineer John Blevins. 

Engineers hope that replacing a pair of gaskets in the hydrogen fuel lines at the bottom of the rocket will solve the problem of any ongoing leaks. 

As an added precaution, the launch team plans a "softer and gentler approach to loading" during the final phase of the countdown, at times slowing the flow of fuel to reduce pressure on the seals, said program manager Mike Bolger.

Engineers are optimistic that they can solve this problem. 

Years behind schedule and billions over budget, NASA's new lunar exploration program is named Artemis after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology.

Twelve astronauts walked on the moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s during NASA's Apollo program.

NASA

mission to the moon