NASA will conduct tests to prepare the Artemis I rocket for its first mission, which will see the spacecraft travel to the moon. The test will take place on June 20 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
During the test, the launch team will practice operations to load the propellant into the missile tank and perform a full launch countdown. The team will also dry the tanks and practice the schedule and procedures they will use for launches.
The test, also known as the ‘wet suit practice test’, is essentially a test run of the entire missile launch process and leave Earth orbit, all without the aircraft actually leaving the launch pad.
NASA previously reported in a blog post that the Artemis I Rocket has returned to Launch Pad 39B. The missile left the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on June 6 to the launch pad for a test practice.
Interested users will be able to watch live exercises along with live commentary on the NASA TV media channel, NASA app, and NASA website.
What happened during the test?
During the test, which will last approximately two days, the team will begin activating the necessary launch facilities and officially start the countdown sequence. The Kennedy Launch Center team will communicate with staff at the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston along with Space Force Eastern Range, and the SLS Engineering Support Center at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
The launch control device will be put into operation and tested, along with various missile systems, spacecraft and ground support equipment.
“The team will then load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic or ultra-cold fuel including liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the rocket on the launch pad to the mobile launcher according to a detailed schedule that they will use on the actual launch day. They will practice each stage of counting. Countdown, includes weather briefing, pre-planned countdown commentary, conditioning and motif additions as needed, and validation checks.”
NASA reported in a post.
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During the exercise, once the launch controllers reach a point before the rocket’s RS-25 engine fires on launch day, they will recycle it back to the T-10 point, and then resume the countdown again once it stops. Deliberately counting down about 10 seconds before simulated liftoff to indicate that launch has stopped and propellant has been ejected from the missile. Launch controllers, sometimes called “scrubs”, may decide not to proceed with a launch if technical or weather-related issues arise during or before the countdown, so demonstrating the ability to remove propellants will ensure the team is prepared for different launch day scenarios,” added another.
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