NASA defends decision to proceed with modified SLS countdown testby Jeff Foust — April 12, 2022 [SN]
NASA said that even without fueling the SLS upper stage in the modified version of a countdown rehearsal, they will still gain most of the information they're seeking from other systems. Credit: NASA/Ben SmegelskyWASHINGTON — NASA officials defended their decision to proceed with a modified version of a countdown rehearsal for the Space Launch System that does not involve fueling the rocket’s upper stage, saying they’ll wait until after the test to determine the next steps toward launch.
During an April 11 call with reporters, NASA SLS managers said they were ready to proceed with a third attempt to load the SLS at Launch Complex 39B with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants and go through a countdown that stops just before ignition of the core stage’s four RS-25 engines. That fueling and terminal countdown is scheduled for the afternoon of April 14.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-defends-decision-to-proceed-with-modified-sls-countdown-test/NASA restarts moon rocket wet dress rehearsal countdownApril 12, 2022 William Harwood STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]
NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket on pad 39B. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky(...) In one, the countdown will tick down to the T-minus 33-second mark before a recycle back to T-minus 10 minutes to test procedures that could be needed should a problem interrupt an actual launch countdown.
A second run will then will tick all the way down to T-minus 9.3 seconds, the moment before main engine ignition commands would be sent for an actual launch. At that point, the ground launch sequencer computer will stop the countdown and the test will end.
The original goals of the countdown test included loading both stages with liquid oxygen and hydrogen.
But it also “was about testing the Launch Control Center, all of the (ground support equipment), our sister control centers … and making sure that we are all able to operate in a day-of-launch environment,” said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA’s first female launch director. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/12/nasa-restarts-moon-rocket-wet-dress-rehearsal-countdown/NASA halts third attempt at SLS practice countdownby Jeff Foust — April 14, 2022 [SN]
The Space Launch System during a third attempt at a wet dress rehearsal April 14, which was halted after a hydrogen leak was found during loading of the core stage. Credit: NASA/Ben SmegelskyWASHINGTON — NASA cut short a third attempt to load propellants onto the Space Launch System for a countdown rehearsal April 14 after encountering several problems, including a hydrogen leak.
NASA started loading liquid oxygen into the core stage of the SLS at Launch Complex 39B around 9:30 a.m. Eastern after a delay caused by issues with the supply of nitrogen gas at the pad used to support tanking operations. However, controllers stopped liquid oxygen loading shortly after beginning initial “slow fill” operations when a temperature limit was exceeded.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-halts-third-attempt-at-sls-practice-countdown/NASA to roll back SLS for repairsby Jeff Foust — April 16, 2022 Updated 10 p.m. Eastern after NASA decision to roll back SLS. [SN]
NASA said late April 16 they will roll back the SLS to the VAB in order to fix a gaseous nitrogen issue at the pad and do rep width=400airs to the SLS and its mobile platform. Credit: NASA/Joel KowskyWASHINGTON — NASA announced late April 16 it will roll back the Space Launch System from the launch pad for various repairs, further delaying the rocket’s long-anticipated first launch.
In a statement late April 16, NASA announced it planned to roll back the SLS to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) “due to upgrades required at an off-site supplier of gaseous nitrogen used for the test,” the agency said. Problems with the supply of gaseous nitrogen, used to support activities at the pad, had delayed two previous countdown rehearsals.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-works-to-track-down-source-of-hydrogen-leak-from-sls-countdown-test/NASA to return Artemis moon rocket to assembly building for repairsApril 17, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket on pad 39B on Saturday evening. Credit: Spaceflight NowNASA will move the Space Launch System moon rocket back into the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center to replace a failed valve and fix a hydrogen leak found during tests at the launch pad, the agency announced late Saturday.
It wasn’t known Saturday when the rollback might occur, or how long the unplanned return to the VAB might delay the eventual launch of the towering moon rocket on NASA’s Artemis 1 test flight. The mission was previously planned for launch some time in June, but the rollback will likely push back the oft-delayed test flight later in the summer.
NASA officials will brief reporters at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) Monday to discuss their plans for rolling the SLS moon rocket back to the assembly building. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/17/nasa-to-return-artemis-moon-rocket-to-assembly-building-for-repairs/Schedule effects of SLS rollback still uncertainby Jeff Foust — April 18, 2022 [SN]
The SLS, which rolled out of the VAB March 17, will return around April 26 so workers can fix a hydrogen leak and replace a faulty valve while others address problems with nitrogen gas supplies at the launch pad. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff FoustWASHINGTON — NASA managers said a rollback of the Space Launch System from its launch pad after three truncated countdown tests will allow them to address issues both at the pad and with the vehicle, but that it was too early to predict what it would do to the schedule for the vehicle’s first launch.
https://spacenews.com/schedule-effects-of-sls-rollback-still-uncertain/NASA plans to roll first Artemis moon rocket back to hangar next weekApril 18, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket on pad 39B. Credit: NASA/Joel KowskyNASA will move its first giant Space Launch System moon rocket off the launch pad and back to its hangar at the Kennedy Space Center as soon as next Tuesday, giving teams an opportunity to resolve several problems discovered during three attempts to load super-cold propellants into the launcher earlier this month. (...)
A 10-day launch period in early June is “challenged” because of the delays in the Artemis 1 countdown dress rehearsal, said Tom Whitmeyer, a NASA manager who oversees development of the SLS moon rocket and other exploration systems.
“The next launch period opportunity is from June 29 through July 12, and then there’s another opportunity after that,” said Mike Sarafin, NASA’s Artemis 1 mission manager, in a media teleconference Monday. Another two-week launch period opens July 26 and runs until Aug. 9. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/18/nasa-plans-to-roll-first-artemis-moon-rocket-back-to-hangar-next-week-for-repairs/Photos: Close-ups of NASA’s moon rocket on the launch padApril 25, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
These images from pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center show NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket awaiting a rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs. (...)
The top of the Space Launch System’s solid rocket boosters, positioned on each side of the core stage. The crew stage’s liquid oxygen feed line is also visible, routing super-cold oxidizer from the oxygen tank down to the RS-25 main engines. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photographyhttps://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/25/photos-close-ups-of-nasas-moon-rocket-on-the-launch-pad/NASA planning next SLS countdown rehearsal in Juneby Jeff Foust — May 6, 2022 [SN]
NASA is planning to roll the SLS back to Launch Complex 39B in late May for another countdown rehearsal in the first half of June, pushing the vehicle's launch back to at least August. Credit: NASA/Joel KowskyWASHINGTON — NASA expects to be ready to perform another countdown rehearsal of the Space Launch System in early June as it pushes back the first launch of the vehicle to at least August.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-planning-next-sls-countdown-rehearsal-in-june/NASA hopeful about staging fourth moon rocket fueling test in early JuneMay 9, 2022 William Harwood STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]
NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Credit: NASA/Kim ShiflettEngineers are making progress resolving mostly ground-system problems that derailed three earlier attempts to fuel the agency’s new Space Launch System moon rocket for a dress rehearsal countdown. NASA managers said Thursday they’re hopeful about making a fourth attempt by mid June.
If all goes well with the next “wet dress rehearsal,” or WDR, countdown test, NASA may be able to press ahead for a long-awaited maiden launch in the August timeframe. But no target dates will be set until after a successful fueling test and the resolution of any other issues that might crop up.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/09/nasa-hopeful-about-staging-fourth-moon-rocket-fueling-test-in-early-june/NASA plans early June rollout of SLS for next countdown testby Jeff Foust — May 21, 2022 [SN]
The SLS, seen here rolling back to the VAB in late April, will return to the pad in early June for another countdown test later in the month. Credit: NASA/Aubrey GemignaniWASHINGTON — NASA is gearing up to perform another practice countdown of the Space Launch System in mid-June as it completes repairs to the vehicle from previous tests.
NASA said May 20 it expects to roll out the SLS from the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center to Launch Complex 39B in early June for the next attempt at a wet dress rehearsal (WDR), where the vehicle is filled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants and goes through a countdown that stops just before ignition of the core stage’s four RS-25 engines.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-plans-early-june-rollout-of-sls-for-next-countdown-test/NASA plans Artemis 1 moon rocket retest around June 19May 27, 2022 William Harwood STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]
Inside the VAB the Artemis 1 vehicle is being readied for a return to launch pad 39B and another attempt to complete a crucial pre-flight fueling test. Photo: NASA.NASA plans to haul its huge Space Launch System moon rocket back to the launch pad June 5-6 for a fourth attempt to load it with 730,000 gallons of supercold propellants in a dress-rehearsal countdown to clear the way for a maiden test flight later this summer, officials said Friday.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/27/nasa-plans-moon-rocket-retest-around-june-19/Next SLS countdown rehearsal scheduled for June 19by Jeff Foust — May 29, 2022 [SN]
The SLS, seen here during a March rollout, will return to the pad on June 6. Credit: NASA/Kim ShiflettWASHINGTON — NASA has tentatively scheduled the next attempt to fuel the Space Launch System and go through a practice countdown for June 19, two weeks after the vehicle returns to the launch pad.
At a May 27 briefing, NASA officials said they were wrapping up work on the rocket in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center. The rocket returned to the VAB a month ago after three attempts to complete a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) at Launch Complex 39B in the first half of April.
https://spacenews.com/next-sls-countdown-rehearsal-scheduled-for-june-19/Small NASA lunar probe to hitch ride on commercial moon missionJune 6, 2022 Stephen Clark [SN]
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight spacecraft. Credit: NASANASA’s Lunar Flashlight — a small spacecraft to measure water ice in dark craters near the moon’s poles — will now launch as a piggyback payload on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket late this year after delays caused it to miss a ride on the agency’s Artemis 1 mission.
Barbara Cohen, the Lunar Flashlight principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, confirmed the new launch arrangement for the mission last month during the Lunar Surface Science Workshop, a meeting of researchers planning scientific investigations for future moon expeditions.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/06/06/small-nasa-lunar-probe-to-hitch-ride-on-commercial-moon-mission/NASA’s SLS moon rocket returns to launch pad for more testingJune 6, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
NASA’s SLS moon rocket rolls toward pad 39B early Monday. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife PhotographyNASA’s first Space Launch System moon rocket rolled out to its launch pad early Monday at the Kennedy Space Center for another attempt later this month to fully load it with super-cold propellants, the culmination of a countdown rehearsal officials aim to complete before moving forward with launch later this summer.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/06/06/artemis-1-wdr-rollout-2/NASA audit reveals massive overruns in SLS mobile launch platformby Jeff Foust — June 9, 2022 [SN]
An illustration of the Mobile Launcher (ML) 2, designed to accommodate the Block 1B version of SLS. A NASA audit found serious cost overruns and schedule delays in the development of ML-2 by Bechtel. Credit: NASA/David ZeitersWASHINGTON — A new mobile launch platform that Bechtel is building for NASA will cost up to four times as much as originally planned and could push back the first launch of an upgraded version of the Space Launch System to the late 2020s, a NASA audit concluded.
The audit by NASA’s Office of Inspector General, published June 9, was sharply critical of both Bechtel and, to a lesser extent, NASA for cost overruns and delays in work on Mobile Launcher (ML) 2, which will be used for launches of the Block 1B version of the SLS starting with the Artemis 4 mission. The larger Block 1B cannot be accommodated on the existing mobile launch platform for SLS.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-audit-reveals-massive-overruns-in-sls-mobile-launch-platform/Photos: Artemis 1 rocket hauled to launch pad for another countdown rehearsalJune 12, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket rolls to pad 39B at sunrise on June 6. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight NowNASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket rolled out to pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on June 6, preparing for another countdown rehearsal later this month to try loading cryogenic propellants into the massive launcher.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/06/12/photos-artemis-1-rocket-hauled-to-launch-pad-for-another-countdown-rehearsal/Fourth SLS countdown test set for June 20by Jeff Foust — June 15, 2022 [SN]
NASA says it’s ready for the fourth Space Launch System practice countdown at Launch Complex 39B, scheduled for June 20. Credit: NASA/Ben SmegelskyPASADENA, Calif. — NASA is gearing up for a fourth attempt to perform a fueling test and practice countdown of its Space Launch System ahead of a launch now no earlier than the latter half of August.
During a June 15 call with reporters, agency officials said they were ready to proceed with a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) of the SLS at Launch Complex 39B. The test will begin with a “call to stations” for personnel at 5 p.m. Eastern June 18. Loading of liquid oxygen and liquid oxygen into the rocket’s core stage and upper stage will begin at 7 a.m. Eastern June 20, with the countdown ticking down to a T-0 at 2:40 p.m. Eastern that day.
https://spacenews.com/fourth-sls-countdown-test-set-for-june-20/First tower segment for SpaceX’s Starship launch site moves to pad 39AJune 16, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
The first segment of SpaceX’s Starship launch tower moves by the Vehicle Assembly Building late Wednesday on the way to pad 39A. Credit: Steven Young / Spaceflight NowThe first segment of a new launch tower for SpaceX’s behemoth Starship rocket moved across the Kennedy Space Center late Wednesday to pad 39A, where the company is poised to erect one of the tallest structures at the Cape Canaveral spaceport.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/06/16/first-tower-segment-for-spacexs-starship-launch-site-moves-to-pad-39a/NASA tries again to complete moon rocket’s practice countdownJune 18, 2022 William Harwood STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]
The moon hangs in the sky behind NASA’s Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System moon rocket on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. Credit: NASA/Ben SmegelskyCountdown clocks began ticking Saturday for NASA’s fourth attempt to complete a dress-rehearsal countdown and fueling test of its Space Launch System moon rocket, a requirement before the huge booster can be cleared for launch on its long-awaited maiden flight.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/06/18/nasa-tries-again-to-complete-moon-rockets-practice-countdown/