Artemis

In continued preparations for the Artemis I wet dress rehearsal  test, with tanking targeted for Monday, teams encountered an issue maintaining helium purge pressure on the upper stage engine after change-out of a regulator on the mobile launcher. The RL10 engine on the upper stage uses helium to purge the engine and also to activate …

Teams are preparing for the next attempt of the Artemis I  wet dress rehearsal, pending range availability and restoration of propellants and gases during the test. Through the past two test runs April 3 and 4, engineers accomplished several test objectives that will prepare the teams and integrated systems for launch: Configuring Launch Pad 39B …

The Artemis I team has ended today’s attempt at the wet dress rehearsal test at 5 p.m. The countdown ended after partially loading liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System core stage tank. This provided the teams a valuable opportunity for training and to make sure modeled loading procedures were accurate. This was the first time using new systems at NASA’s …

The countdown for the wet dress rehearsal has resumed at 10:52 a.m. EDT and clocks have picked back up at T-6 hours, 40 minutes on the clock (L-7 hours, 10 minutes). A new planned T-0 of 6:02 p.m. has been established. An earlier issue with an outage with the vendor of gaseous nitrogen required for tanking preparations has been resolved. Overnight, teams …

At approximately 7:40 a.m. EDT, the mission management team chair gave the “go” to proceed with tanking the rocket for the Artemis I wet dress rehearsal test. Later in the countdown the Launch Director will give the “go” to begin the tanking process. Meteorologists with Space Launch Delta 45 said there were no weather constraints …

NASA is targeting Monday, April 4, to resume the Artemis I wet dress rehearsal test. The test was stopped Sunday, April 3 prior to tanking due to loss of ability to pressurize the mobile launcher using two fans. The fans are needed to provide positive pressure to the enclosed areas within the mobile launcher and …

Teams have decided to scrub tanking operations for the wet dress rehearsal due to loss of ability to pressurize the mobile launcher. The fans are needed to provide positive pressure to the enclosed areas within the mobile launcher and keep out hazardous gases. Technicians are unable to safely proceed with loading the propellants into the …

At approximately 6:45 a.m. EDT, the launch director and mission management team chair gave the “go” to begin tanking the rocket. Meteorologists with Space Launch Delta 45 said there were no weather violations for the test. All elements are powered up and teams have moved the side flame deflectors into position and completed final preparations …

The Artemis I launch team continues to press ahead through the wet dress rehearsal countdown. During the overnight hours after determining four lightning strikes at Launch Pad 39B would not stop the countdown from continuing,  the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) and solid rocket boosters of the Space Launch System rocket were powered up. Shortly …

Engineers confirmed there were four lightning strikes to the lightning towers within the perimeter of Launch Pad 39B. Teams have determined the first three were low intensity strikes to tower two and are continuing to review data from the fourth strike, which was higher in intensity to tower one. At the time of the strikes, …