PROGRAM testing for NASA’s super-large and super-expensive Space Launch System has now been completed. Thus the United States Space Agency announced on Friday (24/6) as reported TechCrunch.
They have now completed their Artemis I demonstration mission to the moon. This is the first step in a long planned mission to finally return humans to the lunar surface by mid-decade. The launch could happen as early as the end of August.
The agency will take the 322-foot rocket and Orion spacecraft back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, an assembly hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, on July 1 or 2, where they will be prepared for launch.
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Chief Space Launch Systems Program Engineer John Blevins said the agency would have about six to eight weeks of work before the final launch.
NASA also declared a stage Wet Dress Rehearsal was completed despite a hydrogen leak issue causing the launch controller to stop the countdown 29 seconds faster.
“Once the SLS returns to the launch pad, the NASA team will spend approximately 10-14 days preparing for takeoff,” said Cliff Lanham, Senior Vehicle Operations Manager for Ground Exploration Systems.
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A leak was detected in the hydrogen drain during the propellant manufacturing process, precisely when hundreds of thousands of gallons of cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen were being loaded into the tank.
But despite the leak problem, the agency was able to load both rocket tanks with propellant. Then they have to dry it, but that’s a major piece of testing that NASA hasn’t done yet.
Although officials did not give an exact launch date, Tom Whitmeyer, Associate Deputy Administrator for General Exploration Systems Development, said so far all plans are looking well and are optimistic that it could be rolled out sometime in late August. (waf)
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