As expected, this weekend, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is trying for the second time to conduct a “wet” test for the launch of the giant rocket from the Space Launch System with the Orion spacecraft. If all goes according to plan, the space system’s first unmanned orbital flight could take place in late summer.
Image source: Joel Kowsky / NASA
After the completion of repairs and troubleshooting that were discovered during previous rocket tests, the SLS aircraft carrier with the Orion spacecraft was again delivered to block 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Tests involving filling tanks with cryogenic fuel began on June 18 at 17:30 local time (June 19, 00:30 Moscow time).
“At night, teams will power up the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System main stage and prepare four RS-25 engines that will not fire during testing,” NASA said in a statement. The department also noted that the probability of a storm occurring within five nautical miles of the spaceport in the first hour of refueling the tanks is less than 20%. Refueling of the rocket and ship’s tanks with cryogenic fuel is scheduled for June 20.
Image source: NASA TV
The previous launch dress rehearsal for the Artemis 1 mission took place in April. Next, NASA experts detected leaks of liquid hydrogen at the junction of the mobile launch station and rocket fuel supply pipelines. Along with this, problems were discovered with the supply of gaseous helium to the engine’s purge system and second-tier fuel system. Ultimately, a full rehearsal of the launch could not be performed and the SLS returned to the assembly shop for repairs.
If the current tests are successfully completed, the first flight of the rocket as part of the Artemis 1 mission is expected to take place in late summer. During the mission, an unmanned Orion spacecraft must fly around the Moon and return to Earth. Later, the Artemis 2 mission is planned, in which astronauts will fly around the moon. The final step in the program is expected to be the landing of astronauts on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis 3 mission, which will likely take place no earlier than 2026.
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