With repairs complete and rocket, NASA is ready to attempt critical fuel testing of its next generation once again. To The Artemis 1 “Wet Dress Rehearsal” will begin at 5 p.m. ET today with call stations for ground personnel at Kennedy Space Center.
Over the next 48 hours, technicians will attempt to load the rocket’s first and second stages with cryogenic fuel. Provided there is no major jolt, they will attempt to load it with propellant from Monday morning. If the test is successful, the Artemis 1 mission could begin as soon as possible.
For the often delayed SLS, this is the second visit to historic Launch Pad 39B. After an initial attempt at a wet dress rehearsal on April 1, NASA tried to complete a modified version of the fuel test, but it was cut short after the agency discovered a hydrogen leak in the rocket’s mobile launch tower. NASA ultimately decided to take the SLS back to the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs and to give a significant nitrogen supplier time to complete the capacity upgrade.
Once the weight dress rehearsal is complete, NASA can finally move forward with Artemis 1. The mission will send an unmanned Orion capsule on a flight around the Moon. The next two Artemis missions will have human astronauts, with an eye toward a lunar landing sometime in 2025 or 2026.
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