A close-up view of the Artemis I Space Launch System rocket inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 20, 2021. Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
NASA is targeting June 6, 2022, to return the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad for the next damp dress wedding rehearsal effort. The Artemis I moon rocket left Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 25, 2022, after three failed attempts at fueling the mega rocket.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are targeted to return to release pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 6, for the next wet dress rehearsal attempt ahead of the Artemis I mission. Movement is currently slated for 12:01 a.m., the morning of June 6th with tanking operations to begin no earlier than June 19.
The rehearsal is the final test needed prior to launch and requires NASA to load propellant into the rockets tanks, carry out a full launch countdown, demonstrate the capability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice the timelines and procedures that will be used for launch.
While inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), groups completed a number of major objectives, consisting of examining the liquid hydrogen system leak at the tail service mast umbilical, changing the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) gaseous helium system check valve and assistance hardware, and modifying the ICPS umbilical purge boots. The addition of hazardous gas detectors above the upper phase permits for extra visibility into any prospective leakages throughout cryogenic operations.
The hatches, or gain access to points, of the team module and launch abort system are now closed in preparation for rollout. Engineers installed gutter on the crew gain access to area to help avoid moisture from going into the team module while the spacecraft and rocket are at the launch pad. Groups have actually started retracting the service platforms that surround the Moon rocket and spacecraft in the VAB for rollout setup ahead of their go back to the launch pad.
NASA will offer livestream views the rollout of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft from VAB and arrival at launch 39B. To learn more about the launch schedule, click on this link.