The SLS and Orion atop the mobile launcher were transferred to the pad on crawler-transporter 2 for a prelaunch test called a wet gown rehearsal. Artemis I will be the very first integrated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. The Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft are in view atop the mobile launcher on Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 14, 2022, throughout a prelaunch test called the Wet Dress Rehearsal.
Groups are now working to drain propellant from the rocket. They will inspect the umbilical connection, evaluation data, and develop a go-forward strategy to attend to the hydrogen leakage.
NASA plans to host a media teleconference on April 15 to provide updates on troubleshooting and the next steps for the wet gown wedding rehearsal test.
By NASA
April 14, 2022
A daybreak view of the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft at Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 11, 2022. Mist increases from a close-by waterway. The SLS and Orion atop the mobile launcher were transported to the pad on crawler-transporter 2 for a prelaunch test called a damp gown rehearsal. Artemis I will be the very first incorporated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. In later objectives, NASA will land the very first woman and the first person of color on the surface area of the Moon, leading the way for a long-term lunar presence and working as a stepping stone en route to Mars. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
Teams concluded todays damp gown wedding rehearsal test at roughly 5:10 p.m. EDT after observing a liquid hydrogen (LH2) leakage on the tail service mast umbilical, which lies at the base of the mobile launcher and connects to the rockets core phase. The leakage was found throughout liquid hydrogen filling operations and prevented the group from finishing the test.
Before ending the test, groups likewise fulfilled test goals for the interim cryogenic propulsion phase by cooling down the lines utilized to load propellant into the upper stage. They did not flow any propellant to the phase since of a problem with a helium check valve identified several days earlier.
The Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft are in view atop the mobile launcher on Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 14, 2022, throughout a prelaunch test called the Wet Dress Rehearsal. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
When teams stopped briefly propellant loading, the rockets core stage liquid oxygen tank had to do with 49% filled and the liquid hydrogen tank had been loaded to about 5% capacity prior to the hydrogen leak.
