NASA’s teams at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida continue to prepare the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft back to launch pad 39B for its next wet dress rehearsal. A few weeks ago, the massive rocket and the spacecraft were rolled out of the launch pad to make way for other launches after three failed rehearsal attempts.
SLS is technically scheduled for its first launch in June 2022 but that is still up in the air since it hasn’t yet completed a wet dress rehearsal. These rehearsals involve a set of key trials which are designed to show that Artemis 1’s SLS rocket, the Orion Spacecraft and their ground infrastructure are ready for launch.
The first wet dress rehearsal began on April 1 and was supposed to wrap up 48 hours later but the team ran into many problems. These problems continued into the second and third efforts till the rocket finally had to be rolled off the launch pad to make way for other launches.
NASA announced on May 13 that its teams are re-tightening bolts on the “umbilical lines” to the rocket to address the hydrogen leak identified during one of the wet dress rehearsal attempts. Engineers have confirmed that the bolts are no longer relaxing by themselves, and this should mean that the system should remain tightly sealed during propellant loading.
The team also replaced the helium check valve on the “interim cryogenic propulsion stage” (ICPS). During this, they found a damaged rubber O-ring seal in the area that separates the ICPS from the mobile launcher during launch. This ring came loose and entered the valve, preventing it from sealing correctly. The team is now working to determine the root cause of this to prevent recurrences.
The teams also determined that there was no water damage to the Orion spacecraft due to the heavy thunderstorm at the spacecraft during the initial wet dress rehearsal attempt. The teams then retracted the platforms inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), where the SLS rocket is stored, in preparation to roll the SLS and Orion back to the launchpad.
There is still some work left to be done inside the VAB, post which, NASA will announce the dates for rolling out to the rocket for the next wet dress rehearsal.
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