NASA successfully completed the rocket’s second launch rehearsal, clearing the way for a launch to the Moon in March
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NASA is ready to go to the moon.
The space agency successfully rehearsed launch programs for the upcoming Artemis II moon mission that will include Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover.
The rehearsal twice reached its goal of counting down to T-minus 30 seconds, meaning the rocket would launch in less than a minute on launch day.
There have been problems in the past with rocket rehearsals, especially when it comes to fuel leakage.
The first attempt at an Artemis II wet dress rehearsal – a nearly three-day-long round of launch procedures that includes countdowns as well as loading the rocket with fuel – began on January 31 and ended on February 3, but ran into a familiar problem: hydrogen leakage during refueling.
A similar issue was encountered with the Artemis I mission.
While there were some hiccups in Thursday’s rehearsal, notably a problem with ground communications, NASA appeared to have overcome the hurdle that had been holding them back: loading the rocket’s core stage with hydrogen.
NASA’s 26-day unmanned mission takes off from Earth to orbit the Moon.
The rocket’s main stage – the giant orange tank – and the rocket’s second stage are both filled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. This process is sequential, starting with slow filling followed by faster filling.
In previous attempts, hydrogen leakage above acceptable limits was detected, halting the tanking process. Ultimately it had to be closed completely.
Hydrogen is prone to leaking because it is the smallest molecule in the universe. But it is also an extremely efficient rocket propellant.
During Thursday’s wet dress rehearsal, it appeared there were no leaks that crossed that line.
“This is an important milestone in testing, as the teams reached this stage without exceeding ground safety limits for hydrogen leak concentrations, as previously observed during the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal,” NASA said in a statement. Artemis Blog Thursday afternoon.
There was no problem in the second phase also.
The next Artemis II launch opportunity is in early March.
History of issues
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will launch astronauts. But the program faced several delays in development, pushing back the first launch of an unmanned Orion capsule around the Moon – Artemis I – by years.
But then, when the rocket was ready, it faced additional challenges.
Artemis I is scheduled to land on the launch pad in March 2022 for a wet dress attempt, but first attempts have been delayed by several months On a number of issues including nitrogen tank concerns.
When it came time to launch the actual Artemis I in August, the hydrogen leak troubled the space agency, as well as some Delay in ground communications.
Astronaut Jeremy Hansen fielded questions from across the country before heading into space for the Artemis II mission, where he will become the first Canadian to fly around the Moon.
The rocket was finally NASA’s iconic Vehicle Assembly Building returns Working on problems. After NASA made several modifications, Artemis I lifted off in the early morning of November 16, 2022.
Even after the first Artemis II wet suit earlier this year, the space agency said it made some additional amendments. It seems that this time these changes may have worked.
Artemis II will see four astronauts flying around the moon testing and carrying out experiments on their Orion spacecraft. This is in preparation for the Artemis III mission that will return astronauts to the lunar surface. That mission is currently scheduled not before 2028.
NASA will hold a press conference tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the findings of the wet dress rehearsal.
