NASA officials announced on Friday that the space agency was getting the Artemis I mega moon rocket ready for its latest attempt at a final pre-launch test after several failed attempts.
The agency's team in charge of the launch is preparing to roll the 322-foot-tall Artemix I rocket stack, including the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, back to the launchpad on June 6 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rollout is expected to last roughly 12 hours.
Artemis Rocket Test Launch
The Artemis rocket is expected to go through its next attempt at the wet dress rehearsal no earlier than June 19. With the month of June known to bring plenty of pop-up thunderstorms in Florida, the NASA team said it was keeping a close watch on the weather and will adjust dates as necessary.
The crucial test, which is also called a wet dress rehearsal, simulates every stage of launch without the rocket leaving the launchpad. The entire process includes loading supercold propellant, going through a full countdown simulating launch, resetting the countdown clock, and draining the rocket tanks, as per CNN.
The Artemis rocket previously went through three failed attempts in April and the rocket stack was rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building on Apr. 26 to address issues that cropped up. Since then, engineers have been working hard to replace and test a check valve on the upper stage and fixed a small leak within the tail service mast umbilical used during fueling.
On the other hand, Air Liquide, which supplies gaseous nitrogen to the launchpad, has upgraded and tested its pipeline configuration to better support the testing and launch of the Artemis I moon rocket. The team in charge of the craft also checked off some get-ahead tasks that were originally meant to take place after the next wet dress rehearsal.
According to SpaceFlightNow, the fourth attempt will have the rocket loaded with 730,000 gallons of supercold propellants. Senior vehicle operations manager at the spaceport, Cliff Lanham, said that teams were working hard to prepare the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft to return back to pad 39B.
NASA's Space Goals
The Space Launch System rocket is the most powerful launcher yet built for the space agency and tips the scales at 5.75 million pounds when fully loaded with liquid oxygen and hydrogen fuel. The SLS will use a pair of extended shuttle-heritage solid-fuel strap-on boosters and four upgraded RS-25 shuttle main engines to generate a staggering 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.
But before NASA launches astronauts on the SLS, the agency first wants to conduct an unpiloted test flight and use the rocket to send an Orion crew capsule on a flight beyond the moon and back. Prior to that, engineers have to carry out the scheduled wet dress rehearsal to verify the rocket and the complex ground systems will work as designed.
The inaugural launch of the SLS will kickstart the Artemis era where NASA aims to build a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon. the launch system is crucial to Artemis as it will also assist in the construction of Gateway, the first space station in orbit around the Moon, Gizmodo reported.
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