The critical test, known as the wetsuit exercise, simulates each stage of the launch without the missile leaving the launch pad. This process includes refueling, performing a complete countdown launch simulation, resetting the countdown clock, and draining the missile tank.
After three drills in April, the missile group was returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building on April 26 to address problems that arose during testing.
So far, the team has been working to replace a faulty check valve at the top of the rocket that caused the helium to leak and fix the source of the hydrogen leak in the tail. Meanwhile, Air Liquide, which supplies the launch pad with gaseous nitrogen, is upgrading its pipeline configuration to support testing and launch of the Artemis I.
While inspecting the valve, the team found a small piece of rubber preventing it from sealing properly, Jim Frey, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said during a press conference Thursday.
Frey said no problems were found with the valve, and engineers were investigating the source of the rubber as it was not originally part of the valve. The team also narrowed down the possible causes of the hydrogen leak.
After the rocket stacks returned to the launch pad in late May, Frye said, it would take 12 to 14 days before the rockets underwent another drill, possibly in early to mid-June.
“We’ve done a lot of work getting the rocket ready to return to the launch pad,” said Cliff Lanham, senior director of vehicle operations for NASA’s Earth Exploration Systems Program at the Kennedy Space Center. “The stop at the VAB is the stopping point To return, do what we have to do and return to the board as soon as possible. So we are working hard to achieve that goal.”
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The Artemis team is now looking at the launch window to send Artemis I on its journey to the moon in late summer: between July 26 and August 9, from August 23 to August 29, and September 2 to September 6.
“We also want to be realistic and honest with you, because it may take more than one attempt to get the action we need to get a smoother launch count that gives us the best chance of creating our own launch window,” Free said.
After the Artemis rocket group finished their training, they would return to the building to await launch day.
There’s a long history behind the difficult process of testing new systems before a rocket launch, and what the Artemis team faced was similar to what the Apollo and Castle Shuttle teams faced, including multiple test attempts and pre-launch delays.
The results of the wetsuit training will determine when Artemis I will embark on a mission beyond the Moon and return to Earth. The mission will launch NASA’s Artemis program, which is expected to return humans to the moon and land the first woman and first person of color on the moon by 2025.
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