Weeks after NASA decided to postpone testing of its next-generation space launch system to make repairs to the rocket, it is ready to try again. Starting at 12:01 a.m. on June 6, technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will begin deploying the spacecraft from the facility’s vehicle assembly building. It will take NASA approximately eight to twelve hours to transport Artemis 1 along the four-mile highway to Launch Pad 39B, and the agency plans to broadcast part of the event live on YouTube.
As Space.com points out, the overnight launch is a concession to the utility. Moving the vehicle at night means that NASA can avoid subjecting it to the worst hot and humid weather in Flordia. Once Artemis 1 returns to Pad 39B, NASA plans to restart the rocket’s “wet dress rehearsal” on June 19. The test is designed to replicate the countdown procedure that will be submitted when the Artemis 1 mission is expected to begin later this year.
After an initial attempt on April 1, NASA attempted to complete a modified version of the test on April 14, but this was discontinued after technicians discovered a hydrogen leak in the tower. SLS mobile launch. Finally, NASA decided to return the rocket to the vehicle assembly building to address the issues that had arisen in its previous test attempts and give time to a critical nitrogen gas supplier to complete capacity upgrades.
As long as there are no more setbacks, the June 19 fuel test will take about 48 hours to complete. If all goes according to plan, the first Artemis 1 that could start is July 26, although it is among the dozens of potential launch dates that NASA has planned from now until the end of 2022, with more dates available next year.