Skip to main content

NASA ready for key launchpad test of its mega moon rocket

NASA engineers are gearing up for another attempt at a key launchpad test for the agency’s next-generation Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft following several failed efforts in April. NASA wants to use the new spaceflight system for its Artemis missions to the moon.

The space agency is likely to reveal more about the scheduling for the upcoming test during a press conference starting at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, May 27.

Recommended Videos

.@NASAGroundSys teams have completed work to get the @NASA_SLS rocket and @NASA_Orion spacecraft ready for its next launchpad test ahead of the #Artemis I mission to the Moon.

On May 27, leaders will give an update. Reporters may RSVP: https://t.co/Nwiirboni2 pic.twitter.com/LuHnhGmkL2

— NASA (@NASA) May 26, 2022

NASA appears set to make another attempt at a wet dress rehearsal for its SLS spaceflight system in early June. The test, which will take place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will see the rocket filled with fuel, followed by a countdown as if for an actual launch.

A number of technical issues emerged during April’s attempts at a wet dress rehearsal, prompting NASA engineers to remove the rocket from the launchpad and return it to the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building.

Those issues have now been fixed, clearing the way for the test in the coming weeks.

“Engineers successfully completed work on items identified during the previous wet dress rehearsal tests, including replacing and testing an upper stage check valve and fixing a small leak within the tail service mast umbilical ground plate housing,” NASA said in comments released on Thursday.

NASA’s SLS spaceflight system will herald a new era of lunar exploration when it lands the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the moon, possibly before the end of this decade.

The landing mission depends on the success of two upcoming test flights, the first (Artemis I) an uncrewed mission that will see the Orion spacecraft perform a flyby of the moon before returning to Earth, and the second (Artemis II) involving Orion taking the same path but with a crew on board.

If the upcoming wet dress rehearsal goes to plan, NASA could launch Artemis I as early as August, setting the space agency on a more certain path toward the first crewed lunar landing since the final Apollo mission in 1972.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
NASA’s Orion spacecraft has ‘critical issues’ with its heat shield, report finds
The Orion crew module for NASA’s Artemis II mission.

The Orion crew module for NASA’s Artemis II mission. NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA is intending to use its new Orion capsule to send astronauts to the moon under its Artemis program, but a new report finds that issues with the capsule's heat shield could be a risk to crew safety. The report from NASA's inspector general was released this week and details issues with the heat shield, which lost some material during the first flight of Orion during the Artemis I mission in 2022.

Read more
Watch NASA begin testing its Orion capsule for lunar flyby
NASA starts testing the Orion capsule for the Artemis II mission.

NASA has started testing the Orion spacecraft that will take four astronauts on a voyage around the moon as part of the Artemis II mission currently scheduled for 2025.

The space agency shared a video (below) showing the Orion capsule being transported to an upgraded vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There, it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.

Read more
These 3 companies are developing NASA’s new moon vehicle
An artist’s concept design of NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle.

NASA has big plans for the moon -- not only sending people back to the moon for the first time in over 50 years but also having them investigate the exciting south pole region, where water is thought to be available. The plan is not just for astronauts to visit for a day or two, but to have them stay on the moon for weeks at a time, exploring the surrounding area. And to explore, they can't just travel on foot -- they'll need a new moon buggy.

Today, Wednesday, April 3, NASA announced the three companies developing its new lunar vehicle: Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab. They'll each develop a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) that can carry astronauts from their landing site across the moon's surface, allowing them to range further and reach more areas of interest.

Read more