vendredi 1 juillet 2022

Artemis I Rollback to VAB Rescheduled for July 1 (July 2 for Europa)

 







NASA - ARTEMIS-1 Mission patch.


July 1, 2022

Update

Teams have rescheduled the return of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to Friday, July 1 due a concern with the condition of the crawlerway that leads from Launch Pad 39B to the VAB. First motion is now planned for 6 p.m. EDT.

Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission

This afternoon, teams conducted a series of conditioning efforts driving the massive transporter up and down the slope leading to the launch pad. The inclined pathway must be precisely level with an even distribution of the rocks that make up the crawlerway in order to support the load of the mobile launcher and rocket that it will carry.

Teams will continue grating, or sifting, the crawlerway overnight and the rocket and spacecraft remain in a safe configuration.

(Previous) NASA to Roll Artemis I Rocket, Spacecraft to VAB Thursday

NASA will roll the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission from launch pad 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida beginning Thursday, June 30.

First motion for the rocket and spacecraft atop the mobile launcher is expected to occur at 8 p.m. EDT today. The 4-mile trek atop the crawler transporter from the launch pad to the VAB will take approximately 8-12 hours. The journey previously was expected to begin just after midnight on July 1 but was moved up by several hours due to forecasted weather in the area. Teams will continue monitoring weather in the area and the start of the roll is subject to change.

Teams completed the wet dress rehearsal test campaign for Artemis I on June 20 and have configured the rocket and spacecraft for return to the VAB. Once there, teams will replace a seal on the quick disconnect of the tail service mast umbilical to address a liquid hydrogen leak detected during the rehearsal along with final servicing and checkouts. NASA plans to return the mega Moon rocket to the pad for launch in late August and will set a specific target launch date after replacing hardware associated with the leak.

Related articles:

Teams on Track for Artemis I Wet Dress Rehearsal Test
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/06/teams-on-track-for-artemis-i-wet-dress.html

Artemis I Moon Rocket Heads Back to Launch Pad for Testing
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/06/artemis-i-moon-rocket-heads-back-to.html

Artemis I Moon Rocket to Return to Launch Pad 39B in Early June
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/05/artemis-i-moon-rocket-to-return-to.html

Artemis I Mission Availability
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/05/artemis-i-mission-availability.html

Work Continues to Return Artemis I Moon Rocket Back to Launch Pad for Next Test
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/05/work-continues-to-return-artemis-i-moon.html

NASA’s Artemis I Moon Rocket to Depart Launch Pad 39B Today
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/04/nasas-artemis-i-moon-rocket-to-depart.html

Artemis I WDR Update: Teams Working Solution to Continue Propellant Loading Operations
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/04/artemis-i-wdr-update-teams-working.html

Artemis I Update: Countdown is Underway for Wet Dress Rehearsal
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/04/artemis-i-update-countdown-is-underway.html

NASA Prepares for Next Artemis I Wet Dress Rehearsal Attempt
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/04/nasa-prepares-for-next-artemis-i-wet.html

Artemis I WDR Update: Go to Proceed for Tanking – Countdown Resumes
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/04/artemis-i-wdr-update-go-to-proceed-for.html

NASA ‘Go’ for Artemis I Wet Dress Rehearsal
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/03/nasa-go-for-artemis-i-wet-dress.html

Standing tall: Moon rocket milestone for Artemis
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/03/standing-tall-moon-rocket-milestone-for.html

NASA Readies Rocket for Artemis I Wet Dress Rehearsal
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/03/nasa-readies-rocket-for-artemis-i-wet.html

Related link:

Artemis I: http://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Space Launch System (SLS): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

Orion spacecraft: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

Image, Text, Credits: NASA/Tiffany Fairley.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch