The mission team is planning to start Stockpile 322 feet (98 m) of Artemis I rockets, including NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, Thursday.
The test, known as the wet suit practice, was modified in response to a problem encountered during a third attempt over the weekend. Engineers have determined that the helium check valve is malfunctioning. The valve is difficult to reach when the missile is on the launch plate, but can be replaced or repaired later. A modified version of the wet drill is required to ensure the safety of missile flight equipment.
Helium is used to clean the engine before loading very cold propellant – which gets wet during wet training – during refueling. Check valves allow gas or liquid to flow in one direction to prevent backflow. In this case, the malfunctioning part is about 3 inches long and prevents the helium from flowing back out of the rocket.
When the missile’s main stage tank starts Thursday, the revised test will decompress the valve and upper missile stage with minimal thrust. Previously, team I was planning to fully refuel the main and upper stages of the rocket, but valve problems prevented this A step of the procedure during this test.
The results of this exercise will determine if there is more Testing must be done prior to launch.
“I’m very confident we’ll have a good test Thursday with the modified procedure,” said John Blevins, chief SLS engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, during Monday’s news conference. “I can’t say I’m glad we had the broken part, but I’m glad we found it when we did before we did the hack with the broken part. That’s why we’re doing this comprehensive test.”
The drills simulate each stage of the launch without the missile actually exiting the launch pad. This includes powering the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, loading ultra-cold propellant into the rocket tank, performing a full launch simulation countdown, resetting the countdown clock, and draining the rocket tank.
Tuesday will kick off at about 5 p.m. ET with the station calling, checking in with every team associated with the launch to say testing has begun.
Once these tests are complete, the Artemis I rocket will be returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida where the team can analyze and replace the valves if necessary.
Officials said the three previous trials in training had provided the team with valuable information, even as they worked their way through various issues.
“We completed many of the test requirements we needed to get out of the wet clothing business,” Tom Whitmer, deputy director of exploration systems development at NASA Headquarters, said at a news conference Monday. “We have a few more to achieve on Thursday. The big moon rocket is in good condition and we treat it very carefully.”
Although the exact problems identified during the tests were not foreseen, they are part of the process when testing new missiles.
“Any new missile introduced into a new program like this type of missile will go through this update and understand how the missile performs,” Whitmer said. “And that’s what we’re going through right now.”
“I can safely say that this may not be the last challenge we will face,” Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager at NASA Headquarters, said during the conference. “But I believe that we have the right team and the ability to tackle this problem is something we can be proud of.”
The results of the wetsuit training will determine when Artemis I will embark on a mission beyond the Moon and return to Earth. The mission will launch NASA’s Artemis program, which is expected to return humans to the moon and land the first woman and first person of color on the moon by 2025.
Sarafin said the current launch windows cover June 6 to June 16, June 29 to July 17, and July 26 to August 9.
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