After midnight Monday, technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will begin transporting the agency's huge Artemis 1 moon rocket to its launch pad.
The first launch for NASA's new Space Launch System megarocket will send an uncrewed capsule to the moon. There is hope that Artemis 1 will lift off as soon as August, but the SLS and Orion must first complete a series of fueling and simulation launch tests known as a wet dress rehearsal, which is scheduled to start on June 19.
Monday is when the roll out will start. The journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad 39B takes 8 to 12 hours. NASA will stream views from the VAB and Pad 39B when the SLS and Orion get there, and you can watch part of it here at Space.com.
The Artemis 1 moon mission is explained in photos.
This will be the second one. The first occurred in March when SLS and Orion emerged from the VAB around sunset before an audience of hundreds. It was pretty amazing. The overnight roll out allows for more predictable weather during the hot and humid summer months in Florida.
Artemis 1's first wet dress rehearsal was supposed to end 48 hours later. After three attempts to fuel the SLS were cut short, it was scrubbed. Artemis 1 was returned to the VAB on April 25 after operations were stopped due to a stuck valve and a hydrogen leak in connections between the rocket and its launch tower.
The decision to roll the rocket stack back gave NASA the chance to fix issues as well as get a head start on other planned improvements. In a press call on May 27, the senior vehicle operations manager for KSC revealed that teams have begun installing equipment for the Artemis 1 mission inside the capsule.
During the two weeks of testing at the pad, the vehicle's instrumentation covers were upgraded to better protect against the heat and storms. Increased storage capabilities for gaseous nitrogen, which the Artemis 1 team uses to purge liquid oxygen from the SLS prior to fueling operations, was one of the things Infrastructure at Pad 39B received ahead of schedule.
The June 19 wet dress rehearsal is expected to last 48 hours. NASA has published a list of launch windows for Artemis 1, but an official target won't be decided until the data from the dress rehearsal is analyzed. If you're planning on going to Labor Day weekend, you'll have to wait until Sept. 6 for the launch opportunity to end.
We encourage you to follow us on social media:
All Rights Reserved © 2024
