NASA has declared that the SLS moon rocket testing has been completed, and the first launch could take place as early as late August.
The agency said on Thursday that it will not conduct another fueling and countdown test of its moon rocket. NASA will instead repair a hydrogen leak and then roll it back to the launchpad. The first launch attempt will take place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in August.
Known as a “wet dress rehearsal,” NASA got most of the way through the test this week, fully fueling the Space Launch System rockets’ two stages with over 700,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. However, the simulation was cut short with 29 more seconds to go because of a hydrogen leak.
Still, the agency was satisfied with the results. Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the Artemis launch director, told reporters that “It was a very successful day, and we accomplished a majority of the objectives that we had not completed in the prior [tests].”
After the test this week, NASA officials said they were not sure whether they would need to do it again — which would’ve been the fifth try. On Thursday, however, officials said they have enough data to proceed with the first-ever launch attempt of the SLS rocket that plans to return astronauts to the moon.
“NASA has reviewed the data from the rehearsal and determined the testing campaign is complete,” the agency said in a statement. NASA would roll the rocket and the Orion crew capsule back to the assembly building, fix the leak, and prepare the rocket for launch.
The agency also said that “NASA will set a specific target launch date after replacing hardware associated with the leak.” The first launch window would be between Aug. 23 and Sept. 6.
The launch, known as Artemis I, would send the Orion capsule, which wouldn’t have any astronauts on board, into orbit around the moon. That would then be followed by Artemis II, in which four astronauts would fly in Orion around the moon, but not land. The first landing could happen in 2025, but that would be based on the success of the prior missions and whether vehicles are available.
Link to article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/23/nasa-moon-sls-rcoket-launch/
The agency said on Thursday that it will not conduct another fueling and countdown test of its moon rocket. NASA will instead repair a hydrogen leak and then roll it back to the launchpad. The first launch attempt will take place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in August.
Known as a “wet dress rehearsal,” NASA got most of the way through the test this week, fully fueling the Space Launch System rockets’ two stages with over 700,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. However, the simulation was cut short with 29 more seconds to go because of a hydrogen leak.
Still, the agency was satisfied with the results. Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the Artemis launch director, told reporters that “It was a very successful day, and we accomplished a majority of the objectives that we had not completed in the prior [tests].”
After the test this week, NASA officials said they were not sure whether they would need to do it again — which would’ve been the fifth try. On Thursday, however, officials said they have enough data to proceed with the first-ever launch attempt of the SLS rocket that plans to return astronauts to the moon.
“NASA has reviewed the data from the rehearsal and determined the testing campaign is complete,” the agency said in a statement. NASA would roll the rocket and the Orion crew capsule back to the assembly building, fix the leak, and prepare the rocket for launch.
The agency also said that “NASA will set a specific target launch date after replacing hardware associated with the leak.” The first launch window would be between Aug. 23 and Sept. 6.
The launch, known as Artemis I, would send the Orion capsule, which wouldn’t have any astronauts on board, into orbit around the moon. That would then be followed by Artemis II, in which four astronauts would fly in Orion around the moon, but not land. The first landing could happen in 2025, but that would be based on the success of the prior missions and whether vehicles are available.
Link to article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/23/nasa-moon-sls-rcoket-launch/
