After the successful wet dress rehearsal of its SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft on June 20, NASA has determined that another test is unnecessary. Wet dress rehearsals are simulations meant to show every stage of a rocket launch except for the rocket actually leaving the pad.
The primary objectives of the rehearsal were to demonstrate all phases of propellant loading and terminal countdown, and to demonstrate Kennedy Launch Complex-39 operations and connectivity. The secondary objectives include the successful use of a control center and SLS engineering support interface, the finalization of launch configuration loads, and the assembly of supporting launch teams.
Despite a liquid hydrogen leak that cut the terminal countdown short, NASA officials said that they had enough data to proceed with the launch of the Artemis I, which consists of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Tom Whitmeyer, deputy administrator for common exploration systems at NASA, says that “During the wet dress rehearsal activities, we have incrementally added to our knowledge about how the rocket and the ground systems work together, and out teams have become proficient in launch produces across multiple sites.”
NASA has said it will “set a specific launch date after replacing hardware associated with the [liquid hydrogen] leak.” The first window for launch would be between August 23 and September 6th.
Artemis I will be the first test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems, and will pave the way for long-term Moon exploration in preparation for human missions to Mars.
The primary objectives of the rehearsal were to demonstrate all phases of propellant loading and terminal countdown, and to demonstrate Kennedy Launch Complex-39 operations and connectivity. The secondary objectives include the successful use of a control center and SLS engineering support interface, the finalization of launch configuration loads, and the assembly of supporting launch teams.
Despite a liquid hydrogen leak that cut the terminal countdown short, NASA officials said that they had enough data to proceed with the launch of the Artemis I, which consists of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Tom Whitmeyer, deputy administrator for common exploration systems at NASA, says that “During the wet dress rehearsal activities, we have incrementally added to our knowledge about how the rocket and the ground systems work together, and out teams have become proficient in launch produces across multiple sites.”
NASA has said it will “set a specific launch date after replacing hardware associated with the [liquid hydrogen] leak.” The first window for launch would be between August 23 and September 6th.
Artemis I will be the first test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems, and will pave the way for long-term Moon exploration in preparation for human missions to Mars.
