NASA’s SLS rocket outside the vehicle assembly building on March 17, 2022. Photo: NASA / Kim Shiflett
A fourth attempt to complete a full launch test of NASA’s space launch system is scheduled for June. NASA ground crews say they have solved a number of technical issues that prevented the practice session from taking place in April. For this next test, they will fill the giant rocket with super-cooled propellant and test a full countdown.
Speaking to reporters today, Cliff Lanhman, NASA’s senior vehicle operations manager, said the call to the stations for launch will be at 6:00 pm ET on June 5, with Crawler-Transporter 2 making its first move at midnight on June 6th. Cryogenic propellant loading will not occur until June 19, Lanhman said, adding that Florida’s tumultuous summer weather (i.e. storms) could change that.
The giant rocket was transported back to the Kennedy Space Center, a vehicle assembly building, on April 26, after three failed attempts to perform a full wet test. A steady stream of technical problems and challenges prevented the ground crew from filling the rocket with cryogenic propellant, a list of problems that included a faulty upper stage helium check valve, a hydrogen leak in the umbilical stick of tail service and inadequate nitrogen gas delivery. as provided by the external supplier Air Liquide, among others, seemingly minor problems.
The inaugural launch of SLS will usher in the Artemis era, in which NASA seeks to build a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon. SLS is key to Artemis, as it will also assist in the construction of Gateway, the first space station orbiting the Moon. NASA also plans to use the giant rocket for future missions to Mars, which could happen in the late 2030s or early 2040s.
During today’s press conference, Lanhman said that the technical issues that had affected previous attempts at the wet suit were resolved, including the replacement of the defective helium check valve, a redesign of the umbilical boot and the Adding Leak Detectors Teams have also tested the improved nitrogen gas system, he said.
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Looking at the wet suit, Tom Whitmeyer, NASA’s associate associate administrator for the development of common exploration systems, said the rocket is a “very robust” and “no” vehicle, but that cryogenics tends to complicate things. “It’s a process,” he told the briefing, as ground crews “have to learn how the rocket behaves” and do it “one step at a time”.
Whitmeyer also confirmed that NASA is looking at the launch of Artemis 1 in August. August) and after August 23rd to September 6th (except August 30th, 31st and September 1st). For this inaugural mission, SLS will launch an unmanned Orion capsule on a round trip mission to the moon.
More information: NASA’s Artemis Moon Landing Program: Releases, Timeline, and more.