Artemis I moon rocket will return to launch pad for 'dress rehearsal' in early June: NASA

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which would fly on its debut launch under Artemis I mission, will be rolled out to the launch pad again in early June, NASA has said. The mega-rocket, which is due to undergo launch tests, suffered a few technical faults owing to which engineers had to haul it back to the vehicle assembly building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center.

Currently, the SLS is awaiting the completion of the “wet dress rehearsal” which would validate the rocket for its first-ever mission to the Moon. During the rehearsals, the agency will fill the rocket's tank with fuel and conduct a full launch countdown similar to the day of launch. 

NASA engineers complete work on technical faults

In a recent update, NASA revealed that the engineers have successfully fixed the issues that emerged during the last phase of testing. The agency said that the mission team has completed work on the liquid hydrogen propulsion system, which underwent a leakage, and replaced the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) gaseous helium system. Besides, they also ensured that there are no impacts on Orion as a result of storms and subsequent water intrusion and modified the ICPS umbilical purge boots. The purge boots are the parts that enclose an area around the ICPS umbilical, which establishes the connection between the mobile launcher and the upper stage. This enclosure is crucial because it protects the ICPS from the natural environment during propellant loading.  

Moreover, the mission team is also completing additional tasks at the VAB which include opening the Orion crew module hatch and installing some payloads. "Following completion of a few remaining verifications, teams will retract platforms inside the VAB to prepare SLS and Orion to roll out to pad 39B. Plans call for the next wet dress rehearsal to take place about 14 days after the rocket arrives at the pad," the agency said in a statement.

(Configuration of SLS rocket; Image: NASA)

The SLS is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle that would be the most powerful rocket to ever liftoff during its launch. According to NASA, it has a core stage equipped with four RS-25 engines which can accelerate the rocket to a speed of over 39,000 kilometres per hour, and the first SLS vehicle, called Block 1, can send more than 27 metric tons of payload to the Moon. The SLS rocket has six types of configuration for crew and cargo and the rocket's thrust capacity (the power generated) during liftoff ranges from 8.8 million pounds to 9.5 million pounds.