NASA has postponed the pivotal fueling check for Artemis II due to a near-freezing chill in Florida, making a February house launch far much less possible.
The so-called “wet dress rehearsal” will load the Space Launch System with 700,000 gallons of extremely‑chilly propellants on the rocket’s Kennedy Space Center launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The trial run, now focused for Monday, Feb. 2, takes the countdown all the best way to 29 seconds earlier than liftoff, then stops.
How the check goes will decide when NASA really lights these engines.
“We need to get through wet dress, we need to see what lessons we learn as a result of that, and that will ultimately lay out our path toward launch,” Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell‑Thompson stated. “With a wet dress that is without significant issues, if everything goes to plan, then certainly there are opportunities within February that could be achievable.”
No ensures: Inside the largest dangers going through NASA’s Artemis 2 crew
Artemis II would be the company’s first flight to the moon with a crew in over 50 years. Three U.S. astronauts, Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and one Canadian astronaut, Jeremy Hansen, will journey within the Orion spacecraft, which they named Integrity. The 10-day journey, which might launch as early as Feb. 8, is a mandatory flight check earlier than NASA makes an attempt to land astronauts on the lunar floor.
Here’s methods to watch NASA refill the 322-foot mega moon rocket on this essential check.
Artemis II launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson watches the mega moon rocket roll by the home windows of the firing room.
Credit: NASA / Aubrey Gemignani
When is the moist gown rehearsal?
NASA has introduced the moist gown rehearsal is now scheduled for Monday, Feb. 2 at 9 p.m. ET, two days later than officers had stated earlier within the week, although the date and time might proceed to alter because the company displays climate and temperature situations.
During the check, groups will fill the rocket with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen and rehearse each main step of launch‑day fueling. Controllers will run via all countdown procedures, together with the ultimate “terminal count,” stopping at T‑29 seconds.
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Will NASA broadcast the check?
Yes, though the company has not launched the hyperlink to the particular feed, NASA plans to stream the moist gown rehearsal reside on its YouTube channel.
The particular person stream hyperlinks can be accessible on that web page, “closer to activities,” in accordance with NASA. It’s unclear how a lot forewarning the company will present. It’s additionally possible NASA will broadcast the occasion on NASA+, its personal free on-demand streaming service, although a placeholder hyperlink for it was not accessible as of noon Friday on the service’s “scheduled events” web page. Check NASA’s Facebook web page and X channel for protection as properly.
Since SLS rolled out to the pad on Jan. 17, NASA has maintained a gradual 24-7 view of the rocket. But that feed will not be the one capturing the fueling check with commentary, in accordance with officers.
From left, the Artemis II crew: Christina Hammock Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman.
Credit: NASA / James Blair
What’s the chance of success?
It’s laborious to foretell the end result of NASA’s moist gown rehearsal, however how easily it goes will drive the launch timeline.
During Artemis I, NASA wanted 4 fueling rehearsals as a result of groups had hassle maintaining the liquid oxygen chilly sufficient, discovered hydrogen leaks the place the bottom pipes connect with the rocket, and bumped into an issue with a valve that lets hydrogen stream again into the tank. From SLS’s rollout in March 2022, it was an eight-month marketing campaign earlier than the rocket left Earth.
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But mission leaders say this time can be totally different. For Artemis II, they’ve modified how they pump the gasoline, upgraded the connections between the rocket and the bottom gear, and redesigned and examined that troublesome valve with actual tremendous‑chilly gasoline.
“Why do we think that we’ll be successful in Artemis II?” Blackwell-Thompson stated. “It’s the lessons that we learned.”
When will Artemis 2 launch?
A launch window is the span of time when a rocket can carry off and nonetheless attain its deliberate vacation spot in house. NASA has launched the launch home windows for February, March, and April. Mashable has supplied an in depth explainer on launch alternatives for the upcoming crewed mission.
Because of the newest delays, that leaves solely Feb. 8, 10, and 11 for this month earlier than NASA begins trying into March. Despite having solely publicized the launch dates via April, mission leaders stated they really have a handful of days accessible “in just about every month,” Blackwell-Thompson stated.