NASA plans June reattempt of moon rocket dress rehearsal
A series of issues caused the agency to postpone the previous dress rehearsal
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Lightning struck the area around the Artemis I wet dress rehearsal on Saturday
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – NASA says it will again attempt a dress rehearsal of their mega moon rocket after undergoing weeks of inspections and repairs inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center.
The agency recently announced it is planning to roll back the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft in late May and attempt the wet dress rehearsal in June.
In April, three attempts to finish the test were marred by technical issues that forced engineers to roll the 322-foot-tall back to the VAB.
NASA says while back inside the facility engineers replaced a faulty helium check vale and conducted leak checks.
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During the wet dress rehearsal, 700,000 gallons of super-cold fuel will be loaded into the rocket, and personnel will perform tasks similar to what a launch day requires.
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Image 1 of 12NASA will roll the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B in late May to complete the wet dress rehearsal. (NASA)
![NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher as it rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, Tuesday, April 26, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, teams will work on replacing a faulty upper stage check valve and a small leak within the tail service mast umbilical ground plate housing on the mobile launcher while the supplier for the gaseous nitrogen makes upgrades to their pipeline configuration to support Artemis I testing and launch. Following completion, teams will return to the launch pad to complete the next wet dress rehearsal attempt. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)]()
Image 2 of 12NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher as it rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, Tuesday, April 26, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, teams will work on replacing a faulty upper stage check valve and a small leak within the tail service mast umbilical ground plate housing on the mobile launcher while the supplier for the gaseous nitrogen makes upgrades to their pipeline configuration to support Artemis I testing and launch. Following completion, teams will return to the launch pad to complete the next wet dress rehearsal attempt. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani) ( )
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Image 3 of 12NASA says they are planning to move the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft from the launch complex to Vehicle Assembly Building to work on a series of issues. (NASA)
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Image 4 of 12A leak of liquid hydrogen forced NASA to delay the dress rehearsal. (NASA)
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Image 5 of 12The Space Launch System rocket will remain at the launchpad 3B until the dress rehearsal concludes (NASA)
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Image 6 of 12A round of storms brought gusty winds, heavy rainfall and lightning to Florida’s Space Coast on Saturday. (NASA)
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Image 7 of 12The massive rocket was moved to the launchpad 39B in March. (NASA)
![The Moon is seen rising behind NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard atop a mobile launcher as it rolls out to Launch Complex 39B for the first time, Thursday, March 17, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)]()
Image 8 of 12The Moon is seen rising behind NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard atop a mobile launcher as it rolls out to Launch Complex 39B for the first time, Thursday, March 17, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani) ( )
![NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Friday, March 18, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad for the first time at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)]()
Image 9 of 12NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Friday, March 18, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad for the first time at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani) (NASA)
![The SLS and Orion spacecraft slowly roll to launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on March 17, 2022.]()
Image 10 of 12The Artemis-1 SLS and Orion spacecraft slowly roll to launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on March 17, 2022. (Image: Emilee Speck/FOX Weather) ( )
![The Artemis-1 mission rocket rolls slowly to launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on March 17, 2022.]()
Image 11 of 12The Artemis-1 mission rocket rolls slowly to launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on March 17, 2022. ( )
![The Artemis-1 mission rocket rolls slowly to launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on March 17, 2022.]()
Image 12 of 12The Artemis-1 mission rocket rolls slowly to launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on March 17, 2022. ( )
Once the test is complete, the rocket and spacecraft will be rolled back to the VAB to be readied for a future launch.
NASA has not ruled out an August launch attempt; however, any additional delays could put that timeline in jeopardy.
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The Artemis I mission will orbit the moon and return to Earth without a crew.
If the program is successful, a crewed mission to the moon could be conducted by 2025.