NASA sets new dress rehearsal for Artemis-2 mission

Last week, a fueling test of the Space Launch System (SLS) moon rocket had to be aborted due to a problem with the flow of liquid hydrogen. The US space agency National Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA) has scheduled a new dress rehearsal for the launch of the Artemis 2 mission for the end of this week.

On February 12, NASA conducted a partial fueling test of the rocket. Some new seals were to be tested. They had been replaced after the dress rehearsal two weeks ago when hydrogen leaks occurred. Problems had already occurred in the same place during the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission three years ago. The launch planned for early February was subsequently postponed.

During fueling, the flow of liquid hydrogen was reduced, NASA announced. The reason was likely a filter in a line of the ground equipment. This has since been replaced, allowing a dress rehearsal, known in technical jargon as a Wet Dress Rehearsal, to take place this week.

50-hour dress rehearsal

The Wet Dress Rehearsal starts this Tuesday evening (Florida local time) and will last almost 50 hours, until February 19 at 8:30 PM (local time). This time is set as a simulated launch date. The procedure goes up to 33 seconds before a launch to simulate real conditions, according to NASA, "including scenarios where a launch might be aborted due to technical or weather-related issues."

During this time, all processes necessary for the launch will be carried out, including fueling the SLS, conducting a launch countdown, and emptying the tanks to practice aborting a launch. Only the crew will not participate in the test. Some NASA employees will take over their tasks, including closing the hatches of the Orion spacecraft.

NASA wants to set a launch date after a successful Wet Dress Rehearsal and an evaluation of the data. The earliest date for a launch of the Artemis 2 mission is March 6.

The ten-day Artemis 2 mission is intended to bring humans to the moon for the first time in over 50 years. However, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman will only orbit it. As a test, the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission flew around the moon in December 2022. A landing on Earth's natural satellite is planned as part of the Artemis 3 mission, which is expected to launch in 2028.

(wpl)