NASA will do another pre-launch test of the Artemis I mission in June

The Artemis I lunar megarocket is preparing for another attempt at its final pre-launch test in June, according to NASA officials.

The NASA team is organizing to take the 98-meter-tall Artemis I rocket stack, including the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft, back to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida later this year. month.

The crucial test simulates all stages of the launch without the rocket leaving the platform. This process includes loading the propellant, going through a full countdown, simulating launch, resetting the countdown clock, and draining the rocket tanks.

After three attempts in April, the rocket stack was taken back to the Vehicle Assembly Building on April 26 to resolve issues that arose during testing.

So far, the team has been working on replacing a faulty check valve in the rocket’s upper stage that created a helium leak, and on repairing the source of a hydrogen leak in the tail service mast.

Meanwhile, Air Liquide, which supplies nitrogen gas to the launch pad, has been upgrading its pipeline configuration to better support the testing and launch of Artemis I.

While inspecting the check valve, the team found a small piece of rubber that prevented it from sealing properly, Jim Free, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said during a news conference Thursday. 5).

No problems have been found with the valve, and engineers are investigating the origin of the rubber, as it was initially not part of the valve, Free said. The team also narrowed down the possible causes of the hydrogen leak.

Once the rocket stack returns to the launch pad in late May, it will be between 12 and 14 days before the rocket can undergo another wet test, which could take place in early mid-June, Free said.

“We did a lot of work to prepare the rocket to return to the launch pad,” said Cliff Lanham, senior manager of vehicle operations for NASA’s Exploration Earth Systems Program at Kennedy Space Center.

“Stopping at the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) is a pit stop to get back, do what we need to do and get back to the pad (launch subcomplex) as quickly as possible. So we are working hard to achieve that goal.”

“We also want to be realistic and straightforward with what can take more than one try to get the procedures where we need them for a smoother release count that gives us the best chance of making our release windows,” said Free.

Once the Artemis rocket stack has finished testing, it will return to the building to await launch day.

There is a long history behind the arduous process of testing new systems before launching a rocket, and what the Artemis team is facing is similar to what the Apollo and shuttle-era teams have experienced, including multiple test attempts and delays before launch. launch.

The results will determine when the unmanned Artemis I will launch on a mission beyond the Moon and back to Earth. This mission will kick off NASA’s Artemis program, which is expected to return humans to the Moon and land the first woman and first black person on the lunar surface by 2025.