The Artemis 1 moon rocket is ready for its next close-up.
The world got its first good look at the Space Launch System rocket and capsule that will fly on Artemis 1 two weeks ago, when the duo rolled out to its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 17 and 18.
The Artemis 1 stack rolled out to gear up for a round of tests centering on a wet dress rehearsal, which will take SLS and Orion through many of their launch-day procedures. NASA recently gave the go-ahead for the wet dress rehearsal, which will take place this coming weekend.
NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission is explained in photos.
The Artemis 1 wet dress rehearsal was given the go-ahead by NASA in a pre-test review on March 28.
The two-day test will run the Artemis 1 launch team through operations to load propellant into the rocket's tanks, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the clock and also drain the tanks to give them an opportunity to practice the timelines.
The test will start at 5 p.m. if all goes according to plan. During a call with reporters on Tuesday, NASA officials said that the event would end on Sunday (April 3) at 5 p.m. There will be a simulation on Sunday afternoon.
The aim of the Artemis 1 mission is to show that both SLS and Orion are ready to carry astronauts on deep-space treks.
NASA has not yet set a launch date for Artemis 1 and won't do so until teams have had a chance to analyze data gathered during the wet dress rehearsal and other tests. The mission is not likely to launch before June.
If Artemis 1 goes well, NASA will be able to plan for the next mission in the Artemis program. If current timelines hold, that flight will launch astronauts around the moon in 2024. Artemis 3 will land astronauts near the moon.
Mike Wall is the author of Out There, a book about the search for alien life. You can follow him on social media. Follow us on social media.
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