FLORIDA – NASA plans to conduct a refueling test of a megarocket Space Launch System (SLS) Artemis 1 on June 19, 2022. The SLS rocket will debut on the Artemis 1 mission to send the unmanned Orion capsule on a circumnavigation of the moon.
But before Artemis 1 can take off, the SLS and its Orion must complete a series of important pre-launch tests known as “wet dress rehearsal”. NASA officials announced plans to begin launching Artemis 1 from the large Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida to launch Pad 39B on June 6.
This is not the first launch of Artemis 1 as NASA has already conducted a test on April 1, about two weeks after the lunar rocket was launched from the VAB. Several technical issues arose in the pads during last month’s “wet dress rehearsal”.
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These include a stuck hydrogen valve and a leak in one of the “umbilical” lines connecting the SLS to its mobile launch tower. The Artemis 1 team attempted to refuel the SLS three times but there was a problem so the Artemis 1 rocket returned to the VAB for repairs on April 25.
NASA officials outlined several fixes for a leaky umbilical, for example, finding that a flange bolt accidentally loosened, damaging the seal. “The seal ages over time,” explains John Blevins, chief engineer for the SLS program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.
The helium check valve and associated hardware are replaced in the upper stage of SLS, called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS). Modifications were also made to the ICPS center boot, which was involved in the rapid disconnection between the SLS and the mobile launch tower during takeoff.
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Following a predetermined schedule for vehicle checkouts at this pad, NASA hopes to begin a “wet dress rehearsal” around 48 hours on June 19. If the “wet dress rehearsal” goes well this time around, the Artemis 1 team can start preparing for the actual launch.
NASA officials say they aim to launch Artemis on August 1, 2022, though have not set an official target date until “wet dress rehearsal” is complete and all data has been analyzed.
“Since it is a very large rocket, we need a proportionate number of devices. There are many different functions on a vehicle that require nitrogen gas,” said Tom Whitmeyer, NASA Associate Deputy Administrator for General Exploration Systems.
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