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Artykuły o Artemis I
« dnia: Maj 03, 2021, 18:53 »
NASA, Boeing aim to deliver first SLS core stage to Kennedy Space Center by this fall
January 10, 2020 Stephen Clark


The first fully-assembled core stage for NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket rolled out of its factory Wednesday and was loaded in a specially-designed barge for transport to the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for testing. Credit: NASA

After years of delays, the core stage for NASA’s first Space Launch System moon rocket rolled out of its New Orleans factory Wednesday, heading for a NASA site in Mississippi for a test-firing before engineers hope to ship the rocket to its Florida launch base by this fall.

A target launch date for the first SLS test flight, which will carry an unpiloted Orion crew capsule beyond the moon, is expected in 2021. But more specific schedule remains uncertain.

Teams loaded the first fully-assembled SLS core stage inside NASA’s Pegasus barge at a wharf adjoining NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility after a 1.3-mile (2.1-kilometer) trip from the rocket’s factory, the same location where previous generations of technicians manufactured the massive first stage of the Saturn 5 moon rocket and the external fuel tank for the space shuttle.

Covered in orange insulating foam, the core stage is fitted with four Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 main engines. Each of the reusable hydrogen-fueled engines powered multiple space shuttle missions, but they will be discarded with the SLS core stage, which is only designed for a single flight.

Built by Boeing, the SLS core stage emerged from its factory at Michoud — located on the east side of New Orleans — Wednesday morning with a bit of New Orleans pomp. Some SLS team members wore shiny bead necklaces, and a “second line” New Orleans drum and brass band accompanied the rocket on the trek out of the factory.

“That’s a whole lot of rocket,” said Jim Morhard, NASA’s deputy administration. “We are talking about a national asset.”

The 212-foot-long (64.6-meter), 27.6-foot-wide (8.4-meter) SLS core stage has the same diameter as the shuttle’s fuel tank. It weighs about 188,000 pounds (85 metric tons) empty, and will weigh around 2.3 million pounds (more than 1,000 metric tons) fully fueled.

The first SLS core stage, when completed, is more than 6,000 pounds lighter than officials originally expected, according to John Shannon, vice president and general manager for the SLS program at Boeing.

NASA started working on the SLS program in 2011, following the cancellation of the Constellation moon program. The development timeline at that time called for the first launch of the SLS in 2017.

Since 2011, NASA has spent more than $15 billion on developing the Space Launch System.

Development of the SLS was first geared toward NASA’s push to send humans to Mars under the Obama administration, then redirected under the umbrella of Artemis program started by the Trump administration aimed at returning humans to lunar surface in the 2020s.

Despite criticism stemming from the cost of the SLS and repeated schedule slips, NASA and Boeing officials this week said they have a renewed focus on delivering the core stage to the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations by the end of this year.

“Seven years ago, you had preliminary design and no real factory, and here she is,” said Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing’s space and launch division. “This is not a trivial accomplishment. In the last year-and-a-half, the NASA/Boeing team invented how to build one of these things, just absolutely invented it on the (factory) floor.”

In response to the most recent series of delays, which were primarily caused by issues with assembling the first core stage engine section, Boeing reconfigured the work flow inside the Michoud Assembly Facility, opting to connect the stage’s liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks before adding the engine section in a horizontal configuration inside the factory.

“I think there was an expectation that Boeing built space station, albeit decades ago, Boeing builds airplanes — they ought to be able to do this. Why are they having problems?” said John Honeycutt, a veteran NASA program manager who leads the space agency’s SLS effort at the Marshall Space Flight Center. “A rocket’s just different. We basically just had an empty factory for them. I think there was a mindset that they’ve got a facility, they’ve got a design, why can’t they just build the rocket?

“If you look back over the past 12-to-18 months, they’ve done a pretty dang good job of holding schedule, Honeycutt said.

The core stage’s four engines are upgraded with modernized electronics and rated for slightly higher throttle settings than they were in the shuttle program.



Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

The RS-25 engines will be ignited later this year on a test stand at the Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi during a “green run” test series designed to confirm the rocket works as designed when loaded with more than 700,000 gallons of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants.

The four RS-25 engines will power up to full throttle to generate nearly 2 million pounds of thrust during the hotfire test.

“This vehicle, as a result of the human-rating of it, it’s gone through an extremely rigorous series of tests,” Shannon said. “That will culminate with the green run, where we do those tests at cryogenic conditions and finally end up with the full mission duty cycle hotfire.

“So by the time we take this vehicle to the Kennedy Space Center, it will be an extremely well-understood vehicle ,and we have really high confidence in flying it, and for the second flight, (with) crew.”

Before the hotfire at Stennis, crews must first raise the core stage vertical and hoist it into the enormous B-2 test stand.

Technicians will make final connections between the core stage’s liquid hydrogen tank, which sits below the rocket’s first stage liquid oxygen tank, and the four RS-25 engines. Those fittings are easier to secure while the rocket is vertical, and the change at Michoud to install the engine section horizontally forced officials to put off the hydrogen feed line connections until the core stage is at Stennis.

Engineers will also perform a modal test on the core stage to measure the resonant frequency of the rocket. That data will be fed into models to help predict how the rocket will fly.

Once the core stage is firmly attached to the B-2 test stand, engineers will switch on the rocket’s avionics and begin powering up control computers, instrumentation and other equipment for the green run test.

Then test teams will load super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants into the core stage for the first time.

Subjecting the intricate plumbing inside the core stage to cryogenic temperatures — minus 423 degrees (minus 253 degrees Celsius) in the case of liquid hydrogen, and minus 298 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 183 degrees Celsius) for liquid oxygen — will stress the propellant tanks and propulsion system.

“Filling everything with cryo is huge because that’s the first time you have your tanks moving the way they’re going to move when they’re filled with cryo fluid,” said Alex Cagnola, a propulsion engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, which manages the SLS program. “You’re testing all your joints. You’re testing how everything basically acts under a cryogenic environment.”

Shannon agreed, highlighting the core stage’s response to cryogenic propellant as a big unknown.

“We did a very comprehensive set of functional testing on the vehicle (before it left the factory), and that included pressure tests, seal checks ,all the electrical tests we could think of, software checks and things like that,” Shannon said. “And the vehicle came through really with flying colors. We found no real issues with the design or the way it was produced.

“But things change when you get down at cryogenic temperatures, and as we saw after our experience with the shuttle, you can end up having systems perform differently,” said Shannon, a former NASA flight director and space shuttle program manager.

Teams will check for leaks once the rocket is loaded with more than 730,000 gallons of super-cold propellants.

“The next big unknown as a program is when we put the cryogenic liquids in the oxygen tank and the hydrogen tank, and we look at the plumbing and all the systems and make sure that they remain tight, and that they perform as expected through our qualification test,” Shannon told reporters Wednesday. “We have high confidence that they will, but until you see it in an integrated fashion, you don’t really know.”



Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

Assuming the fueling demonstration goes well, managers will give the go-ahead a few weeks later to fuel the core stage again for the eight-minute test-firing of the RS-25 engines.

Honeycutt said the hotfire test could happen in June, assuming teams encounter no major problems.

Shannon said the test-firing will satisfy engineering requirements if the engines run for a little more than two minutes. If a ground system problem forces a premature cutoff of the engines after that point, managers could decide to declare the test complete and begin preparations to transport the rocket to Florida.

If a problem on the rocket itself causes an engine shutdown, managers will likely want to perform another hotfire test at Stennis before shipping the core stage to the Kennedy Space Center.

“One big difference with the way SLS is built than with shuttle is we take a bleed off the hydrogen exhaust to be able to drive the hydraulic power units (for the first stage’s thrust vector control engine gimbal and steering system),” Shannon said. “We also take that same bleed coming off the connection to build the hydrogen tank pressure.

“When the hydrogen tank is at a level of about two-thirds down, we’re going to really aggressively gimbal the four engines, it’s going to put a lot of pressure on the ability to continue to feed those hydraulic power units and provide sufficient pressure to the liquid hydrogen tank. It’s one of the major tests, and the reason we’re doing the green run.

“That’s a very different thing. You wouldn’t it see in flight, but it gives us a very good stress test on that part of the design of the vehicle to show we can keep the tank pressurized while we’re aggressively gimbaling at a very low level in the liquid hydrogen tank.”

Technicians will inspect the core stage after the hotfire test for damage to its foam insulation, which is made of different materials than the foam used on the space shuttle external tank. Engine inspections and refurbishment will also be required after the test-firing.

“There’s a little bit of refurbishment that happens after hotfire,” said Cagnola, a NASA propulsion engineer. “Aerojet Rocketdyne has to take a look at their engines. They assess all the nozzles. They assess all the parts in there. They have to remove the aluminum tape on the boat-tail after hotfire. They’ll have to asses the condition of the (paint) under there. They’ll have to assess all the outside and inside components.”

NASA and Boeing managers plan to perform some of the refurbishment on the core stage after it is delivered to Kennedy, where technicians will have a more controlled environment to perform their work inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, rather than in the open on the B-2 test stand at Stennis.

“If everything went perfectly, and we didn’t have any kind of weather issues on the stand that would halt work, if the vehicle performs completely as expected and we didn’t have any refurbishment, we’d be out (of Stennis) probably in the late summer timeframe, the July/August timeframe,” Shannon said.

If teams are Stennis have to contend with inclement weather, or some repairs are needed after the test-firing, the rocket could be delivered to Kennedy later in the year, Shannon said.

“The range I think would be July/August if everything goes perfectly, to the October timeframe if we deal with the typical weather or the typical damage that happens to things like the thermal protection system after that eight-minute firing,” Shannon said.

Once at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the core stage will join two side-mounted solid-fueled boosters — also using modified space shuttle technology — and an upper stage derived from United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4-Heavy rocket.

The SLS will blast off from pad 39B at the Florida spaceport some time in 2021. A target launch date is still under review after a series of delays have pushed back the SLS’s inaugural test flight from its original schedule in 2017.

The first launch, designated Artemis 1, will carry NASA’s Orion crew capsule on an unpiloted flight into lunar orbit and back to Earth. Boeing teams at Michoud are building a second SLS core stage for the Artemis 2 mission, which could blast off in 2022 or 2023 to carry another Orion vehicle with four astronauts around the moon and back.

The Artemis program’s third mission, planned for 2024, could include an attempt to land astronauts on the moon, a five-year goal set by Vice President Mike Pence last year.

In parallel with the development of the SLS, NASA is kicking off procurement of a human-rated lunar lander. The agency is expected to select multiple industry teams in the coming months to begin developing a moon lander, before choosing a single design to attempt a landing in 2024, and another team to try for a landing in 2025.

NASA is also planning to built a mini-space station lunar orbit called the Gateway to serve as a research platform and waypoint for crews transiting between Earth and the lunar surface.

The ULA-built upper stage for the first SLS mission is in storage at the Kennedy Space Center, waiting for arrival of the core stage. All 10 segments of the two solid rocket boosters for the Artemis 1 launch are fueled with their pre-packed propellant at a Northrop Grumman facility in Utah, awaiting NASA’s go-ahead for their railroad journey to Florida.



Artist’s concept of stacking of the Space Launch System inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center. In this illustration, the orange SLS core stage, two solid rocket boosters and the upper stage are visible, while a crane lowers the Orion spacecraft atop the launch vehicle. Credit: NASA

The SLS will be stacked inside Vehicle Assembly Building high bay atop a towering mobile launch platform, which will carry the rocket from the VAB to pad 39B at the Florida launch base, riding one of NASA’s Apollo-era huge diesel-powered crawler transporters.

Meanwhile, production of the next two SLS core stages is underway at Michoud.

Both propellant tanks for the second SLS core stage — for the rocket’s first crewed launch — have been welded and are undergoing testing before they receive their insulation. Outfitting of the engine section has also started at Michoud.

Shannon said Boeing is targeting completion of the fully-assembled core stage for the Artemis 2 mission in March 2022. NASA does not plan to perform a green run test on future SLS core stages, so the rocket will be delivered directly from Louisiana to the Kennedy Space Center.

Parts for the Artemis 3 core stage are also being readied at Michoud.

Meanwhile, Boeing engineers at Michoud expect to resume work on a new four-engine upper stage for future SLS missions. The new Exploration Upper Stage, which will improve the SLS lift capability, could be ready in time to replace the single-engine ULA-built upper stage for the Artemis 4 mission in the 2025 timeframe.

“We throttled back the funding for EUS as a result of the delays on the core stage, primarily,” Honeycutt said. “We have gotten favorable appropriations pretty much every year, so … given that we get favorable appropriations, we’re going to start ramping up on EUS this year.

“John (Shannon from Boeing) thinks he can get an EUS out in the ’24 timeframe … I’m a little less positive on it than he is,” Honeycutt said. “I think it’s more like in ’25.”


Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/01/10/nasa-boeing-aim-to-deliver-first-sls-core-stage-to-kennedy-space-center-by-this-fall/
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Odp: [SFN] Core of NASA’s first Artemis moon rocket towed
« Odpowiedź #1 dnia: Maj 03, 2021, 19:08 »
First SLS launch now expected in second half of 2021
by Jeff Foust — March 2, 2020 [SN]


NASA Associate Administrator Steve Jurczyk said Feb. 28 that the first SLS launch, on the Artemis 1 mission, will likely take place in mid to late 2021. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — A top NASA official said Feb. 28 he expects the first flight of the Space Launch System to take place in the second half of 2021, a later date than prior agency statements.

Speaking at the kickoff meeting of the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium at the Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, NASA Associate Administrator Steve Jurczyk said that all of the elements needed for the Artemis 3 2024 human lunar landing are either under development or will soon be under contract.

That includes the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The SLS core stage for the Artemis 1 uncrewed test flight is currently at the Stennis Space Center for a “Green Run” static-fire test scheduled for later this year, while the Orion spacecraft for that mission is wrapping up testing at NASA’s Plum Brook Station.

The SLS core stage, he said, should arrive at the Kennedy Space Center in late summer or early fall, allowing teams to begin “integrating for a launch hopefully in the mid ’21 timeframe, mid to late ’21 timeframe for Artemis 1.”

NASA has yet to provide a new formal launch date for that mission, which has slipped by several years. In December, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said that launch would take place in 2021 after the agency had been holding on a November 2020 launch. Doug Loverro, the agency’s new associate administrator for human exploration and operations, commissioned a review of NASA’s exploration plans when he started work in December, including setting a new date for Artemis 1. The outcome of that review should be released in the coming weeks.

Jurczyk said NASA is moving ahead with other elements of its exploration plan, including development of modules and related systems for the lunar Gateway. NASA is in negotiations with Northrop Grumman for a contract for the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module, after the agency announced last summer its intent to sole-source the module with that company. He added that the agency is “getting ready to award” a contract for Gateway logistics services, a cargo delivery service similar to the International Space Station’s commercial cargo program.

What’s left to award are study contracts for the Human Landing System program. NASA is expected to issue several such contracts for initial studies of commercially developed lunar landers for carrying astronauts to the lunar surface and back, and later select one or two companies to proceed in full development.

“We’ve very close to awarding, most likely, multiple contracts,” he said. Those awards will come “within weeks,” he added. That’s in line with a Feb. 10 procurement update from NASA, which projected making awards in late March or early April.

The next nine to 12 months, he said, “will be critical to nail down the requirements and get to a preliminary design review,” he said of that program. He noted later in his talk that NASA plans to gets those lunar lander requirements finalized with companies that win awards within 90 days. Companies can either elect to use NASA technical standards or offer an equivalent alternative. “But after 90 days, if we can’t get agreement, you’re going to use ours.”

Jurczyk said NASA is not neglecting planning for the second, “sustainable,” phase of the Artemis program for missions after Artemis 3. He said he was in a four-hour “pre-acquisition strategy meeting” the previous day to discuss what centers would lead various elements of that second phase of Artemis, and what would be developed in-house at NASA versus outside the agency.

Details about those plans, he said, should be released within a month. “If I was here a month from now, I would be doing that presentation on the current plan for Artemis phase 2.”


Source: https://spacenews.com/first-sls-launch-now-expected-in-second-half-of-2021/
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Odp: Artykuły o Artemis 1
« Odpowiedź #2 dnia: Grudzień 21, 2021, 16:39 »
SLS core stage arrives at KSC but faces “challenging” schedule
by Jeff Foust — April 28, 2021


The barge carrying the SLS core stage arrives at the Kennedy Space Center April 27. Credit: NASA/Jamie Peer

WASHINGTON — The final major element of the first Space Launch System rocket arrived at the Kennedy Space Center, but NASA’s acting administrator says it will be “challenging” to launch the rocket before the end of this year.

Source: https://spacenews.com/sls-core-stage-arrives-at-ksc-but-faces-challenging-schedule/
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Odp: Artykuły o Artemis 1
« Odpowiedź #3 dnia: Styczeń 16, 2022, 12:08 »
Core of NASA’s first Artemis moon rocket towed into Vehicle Assembly Building
April 29, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


The 212-foot-long core stage for the Artemis 1 mission rolls into the Vehicle Assembly Building Thursday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

A decade in the making, the core stage for NASA’s first Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket rolled into the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center Thursday to join up with twin solid rocket boosters and an Orion capsule for an unpiloted test flight around the moon.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/04/29/core-stage-for-nasas-first-space-launch-system-rocket-towed-into-vehicle-assembly-building/
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Odp: Artykuły o Artemis 1
« Odpowiedź #3 dnia: Styczeń 16, 2022, 12:08 »

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Odp: Artykuły o Artemis 1
« Odpowiedź #4 dnia: Styczeń 27, 2022, 20:30 »
Engine computer problem delays first SLS launch
by Jeff Foust — December 20, 2021 [SN]


Work to replace a malfunctioning computer on one of the four engines in the SLS core stage will delay its first launch to at least March, NASA announced Dec. 17. NASA/Cory Huston

WASHINGTON — A malfunctioning computer in one of the four main engines of the Space Launch System will delay that vehicle’s first launch to no earlier than March.

Source: https://spacenews.com/engine-computer-problem-delays-first-sls-launch/
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Odp: Artykuły o Artemis 1
« Odpowiedź #5 dnia: Luty 03, 2022, 10:27 »
Amazon’s Alexa to be tested on Artemis 1
by Jeff Foust — January 5, 2022 [SN]


Callisto will test how Amazon's Alexa technology could be used by astronauts on Orion and other spacecraft to analyze data, control systems and interact with teams on the ground. Credit: Lockheed Martin

WASHINGTON — The upcoming uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft will include a payload to see how a voice recognition technology widely available to consumers today could be used to assist astronauts on future missions.

Lockheed Martin announced Jan. 5 that it has been working with Amazon and Cisco on a project called Callisto that will be flown on the Artemis 1 mission launching no earlier than March. Callisto is a demonstration to see how Amazon’s Alexa technology and Cisco’s Webex teleconferencing platform could be used on future crewed missions.
https://spacenews.com/amazons-alexa-to-be-tested-on-artemis-1/

NASA holding out hope for first SLS launch in March
by Jeff Foust — January 13, 2022 [SN]


Janet Petro, director of the Kennedy Space Center, discussed in a Jan. 12 speech major milestones for the center that include both the SLS wet dress rehearsal and first launch in the first quarter of 2022. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff Foust

ORLANDO, Fla. — NASA officials are holding out hope that the first Space Launch System launch can still take place as soon as March despite a delay in the rollout of the vehicle for a key test until mid-February.

In an update on preparations for the Artemis 1 mission published Jan. 5, NASA said it expected to roll out the SLS to Launch Complex 39B in mid-February for a fueling test and practice countdown called a wet dress rehearsal. After that test, the SLS will go back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for final preparations before returning to the pad for the launch.

Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-holding-out-hope-for-first-sls-launch-in-march/
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Odp: Artykuły o Artemis 1
« Odpowiedź #6 dnia: Luty 03, 2022, 10:28 »
NASA to name astronauts this year for first Artemis moon mission
January 26, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Artist’s concept of an Orion spacecraft at the moon. Credit: NASA

NASA will announce later this year the four astronauts who will slingshot around the far side of the moon on the Artemis lunar program’s first crew mission, currently scheduled for launch in 2024, the head of the agency’s human space exploration division recently said. The crew is expected to include three U.S. fliers and one Canadian astronaut.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/01/26/nasa-to-name-astronauts-this-year-for-first-artemis-moon-mission/

NASA delays SLS rollout for launch rehearsal
by Jeff Foust — February 2, 2022 [SN]


NASA is postponing the rollout of the SLS from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B for a wet dress rehearsal by a month to give workers more time to complete work on the rocket. Credit: NASA/Cory Huston

WASHINGTON — NASA is postponing the rollout of the first Space Launch System for a final prelaunch test by a month to give workers more time to complete vehicle preparations.

NASA announced Feb. 2 that it was delaying the rollout of the SLS from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B for a fueling test and practice countdown called a wet dress rehearsal. NASA officials said as recently as mid-January that they expected the vehicle to roll out to the pad in mid-February for that test.

Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-delays-sls-rollout-for-launch-rehearsal/

NASA targets March rollout for SLS moon rocket, launch later this spring
February 4, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


The Orion spacecraft, with its launch abort system, stands on top of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Credit: NASA/Corey Huston

NASA says the first rollout of the Space Launch System moon rocket is planned for March ahead of a key fueling test on a seaside launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, a delay of several weeks to allow more time for work inside the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/02/04/nasa-targets-march-rollout-for-sls-moon-rocket-launch-later-this-spring/

KSAT to support NASA LunIR mission
by Debra Werner — February 9, 2022 Article updated Feb. 9 at 10:30 pm Eastern time with comments from KSAT CEO Rolf Scatteboe. [SN]


LunIR is a NASA-funded cubesat built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems and Lockheed Martin payload to collect images and gather data. Credit: Lockheed Martin

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Kongsberg Satellite Services is providing ground network support for the Lunar InfraRed Imaging (LunIR) mission with ground stations in Punta Arenas, Chile, Svalbard, Norway, and Antarctica’s Troll station.

LunIR is a cubesat built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, a subsidiary of Terran Orbital Corp., and Lockheed Martin to collect lunar images and gather data after piggybacking on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket Artemis 1 uncrewed moon mission.
https://spacenews.com/ksat-lunir-ground-network/
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Odp: Artykuły o Artemis 1
« Odpowiedź #7 dnia: Luty 07, 2022, 07:50 »
NASA to roll out SLS in mid-March for launch rehearsal
by Jeff Foust — February 25, 2022 [SN]


NASA now plans to roll out the Space Launch System to its launch pad on the night of March 17 for tests that will include fueling the core stage and going through a practice countdown. Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

WASHINGTON — NASA expects to roll out the Space Launch System rocket for the first time in mid-March for a dress rehearsal of a launch that could come as soon as May but more likely some time in the summer.

NASA officials said Feb. 24 that workers had completed the last in a series of tests of the rocket in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center and were now closing out work on the vehicle to prepare for rollout to Launch Complex 39B.

Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-to-roll-out-sls-in-mid-march-for-launch-rehearsal/

NASA ready to roll out SLS
by Jeff Foust — March 15, 2022 [SN]


Workers are removing platforms in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center, revealing the SLS ahead of its March 17 rollout. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — NASA is ready to roll out the first Space Launch System rocket this week for a countdown rehearsal ahead of a launch later this year.

Agency officials said at a March 14 briefing that they had completed reviews for the scheduled March 17 rollout of the SLS from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center to Launch Complex 39B several kilometers away. Rollout is scheduled to begin at approximately 5 p.m. Eastern and take 11 hours to reach the pad.

Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-ready-to-roll-out-sls/

SLS rolls out to pad for countdown test
by Jeff Foust — March 18, 2022 [SN]


The SLS and its mobile launch platform emerge from the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center March 17. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff Foust

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — The first Space Launch System rocket rolled out to its launch pad here March 17 for a countdown dress rehearsal ahead of its long-delayed launch this summer on the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission.

A crawler-transporter carrying a mobile launch platform, with the SLS on it, left the Vehicle Assembly Building here at approximately 5:45 p.m. Eastern. It traveled the 6.8 kilometers to Launch Complex 39B, arriving there around 4 a.m. Eastern March 18.

Source: https://spacenews.com/sls-rolls-out-to-pad-for-countdown-test/

NASA’s most powerful rocket moved to launch pad for first time
March 18, 2022 Stephen Clark


NASA’s Space Launch System rolls eastbound toward pad 39B. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

NASA’s powerful new moon rocket, standing more than 30 stories tall, arrived on the launch pad early Friday for the first time at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ready for a series of checkouts culminating in fueling test and simulated countdown in early April.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/03/18/nasas-most-powerful-rocket-moved-to-launch-pad-for-first-time/

SLS test could delay Crew Dragon launch
by Jeff Foust — March 25, 2022 [SN]


The first SLS on the pad at Launch Complex 39B for a countdown test scheduled for April 3. If that schedule holds it would delay a Crew Dragon launch to the ISS by at least a day. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff Foust

WASHINGTON — A practice countdown for NASA’s Space Launch System could cause a delay in the launch of a commercial mission to the International Space Station, a move with potential ripple effects for other missions to the station.

Source: https://spacenews.com/sls-test-could-delay-crew-dragon-launch/

NASA gives priority to Artemis ground test over commercial astronaut launch
March 25, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Pilot Larry Connor and commander Mike Lopez-Alegria (left and right) during training inside a SpaceX simulator. Credit: Axiom Space / SpaceX

NASA officials gave the green light Friday for the first all-commercial astronaut launch to the International Space Station on a SpaceX rocket as soon as April 3. But the astronaut launch could be delayed a day, or longer, to give priority to a countdown test for NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket on a neighboring launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/03/25/nasa-gives-priority-to-artemis-ground-test-over-commercial-astronaut-launch/

NASA ready for high-stakes, low-profile SLS test
by Jeff Foust — March 29, 2022 [SN]


The SLS at Launch Complex 39B ahead of its wet dress rehearsal, set to start April 1 and last two days. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

WASHINGTON — NASA says it’s ready to go ahead with a practice countdown of the Space Launch System that will serve as a final key test before the rocket’s first launch, but one that will also take place largely out of public view.

Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-ready-for-high-stakes-low-profile-sls-test/

NASA begins critical Artemis countdown rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center
April 1, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA’s Space Launch System on launch pad 39B. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA commenced a two-day countdown dress rehearsal for the agency’s huge Space Launch System moon rocket Friday, with clocks ticking down to a critical milestone Sunday, when the heavy-lifter will be fueled and pressurized on the launch pad for the first time. (...)

The two-day countdown began at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) Friday with countdown clocks at Kennedy Space Center starting at T-minus 43 hours, 40 minutes. The test will culminate with a simulated cutoff of the countdown at T-minus 9.34 seconds Sunday afternoon, just before the rocket’s four RS-25 main engines would ignite on launch day.

The countdown test, called a wet dress rehearsal, is a major milestone before NASA proceeds with an attempt to launch the 322-foot-tall (98-meter) Space Launch System on the Artemis 1 mission, the first test flight for the Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/01/nasa-begins-critical-artemis-countdown-rehearsal-at-kennedy-space-center/

Artemis 1 wet dress rehearsal timeline
April 3, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]

The timeline below covers major countdown activities planned during the NASA’s wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis 1 mission. The wet dress rehearsal will include loading of more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System moon rocket on launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

See our Mission Status Center for additional coverage and real-time mission updates.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The times below are listed using the “T” time on the countdown clock, which includes build-in holds.

• T-06:40:00: The countdown enters a 90-minute built-in hold; Mission management team meets to give “go” for tanking

• T-06:40:00: The countdown clock resumes after the build-in hold; Core stage liquid oxygen chilldown begins
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/03/artemis-1-wet-dress-rehearsal-timeline/

Ground system problem halts Artemis 1 countdown dress rehearsal
April 3, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket stands on pad 39B Sunday, moments after NASA scrubbed a planned cryogenic fueling test. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

NASA launch controllers called off plans to load super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the first fully-assembled Space Launch System moon rocket Sunday for a countdown dress rehearsal, giving time for ground teams to troubleshoot problems with fans used to ventilate the giant rocket’s mobile launch structure at the Kennedy Space Center.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/03/ground-system-problem-halts-artemis-1-countdown-dress-rehearsal/

NASA scrubs first attempt at SLS countdown rehearsal
by Jeff Foust — April 3, 2022  Updated 6:30 p.m. with comments from briefing. [SN]


NASA started April 3 hoping to get through a practice countdown of the SLS, but a technical problem with its mobile launcher forced a scrub hours later. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

DENVER — NASA called off the first attempt to fuel its Space Launch System rocket and go through a practice countdown April 3, citing a problem with the rocket’s mobile launcher, but hopes to try again April 4.

NASA announced shortly before 12 p.m. Eastern that it was scrubbing its wet dress rehearsal (WDR) for the SLS before crews started loading any liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant into the vehicle. The agency said fans in the mobile launch platform, required to create positive pressure in enclosed areas of the platform to avoid a buildup of hazardous gases, were not working.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-scrubs-first-attempt-at-sls-countdown-rehearsal/

NASA bumps Artemis countdown rehearsal until after Axiom crew launch
April 5, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA’s Space Launch system moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission stands on pad 39B Monday. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA officials said Tuesday they are standing down from a cryogenic loading test on the agency’s Space Launch System moon rocket until after the launch of a commercial crew mission from a neighboring pad at the Kennedy Space Center.

A countdown test Monday was delayed by what NASA managers characterized as minor issues, including a liquid oxygen temperature concern and a manual valve that was left in the wrong configuration before teams evacuated the SLS launch pad.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/05/nasa-bumps-artemis-countdown-rehearsal-until-after-axiom-crew-launch/

SLS countdown test on hold after second scrub
by Jeff Foust — April 6, 2022 [SN]


After a second scrubbed countdown test April 4, NASA will wait until after a crewed SpaceX launch April 8 before trying again. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

COLORADO SPRINGS — After a series of problems scrubbed a second countdown rehearsal for the Space Launch System April 4, NASA will wait until after the launch of a SpaceX mission to the space station before trying again.

NASA halted the wet dress rehearsal (WDR) for the SLS at Launch Complex 39B at about 5 p.m. Eastern April 4. The decision to stop the test came after controllers could not open a vent valve on the mobile launcher required to start loading of liquid hydrogen into the rocket’s core stage. Technicians later found that the valves were physically closed in a way such that they could not be remotely commanded to open.
https://spacenews.com/sls-countdown-test-on-hold-after-second-scrub/

NASA to delay, modify SLS countdown rehearsal
by Jeff Foust — April 9, 2022 [SN]


NASA said April 9 it will delay a fueling test of the SLS until April 14 and modify it with "minimal propellant operations" on the upper stage because of a faulty valve. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

WASHINGTON — After discovering a problem with a valve on the Space Launch System’s upper stage, NASA is delaying a countdown rehearsal and fueling test and modifying it to limit fueling of the upper stage.

NASA said in an April 9 blog post that it was delaying the wet dress rehearsal (WDR) for the SLS by another three days. NASA previously planned to restart the test with a “call to stations” for personnel April 9, leading up to the tanking test and practice countdown April 11. NASA said the call to stations is now set for April 12 and tanking on April 14.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-to-delay-modify-sls-countdown-rehearsal/

Citing valve problem, NASA will load only the SLS core stage in next countdown test
April 9, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA’s Space Launch System on pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

A problem with a helium valve on the Space Launch System moon rocket’s upper stage will require ground teams to only partially load the giant launcher with cryogenic propellants during an upcoming countdown dress rehearsal, NASA officials said Saturday.

Instead of fully loading both stages of the rocket cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, NASA will now focus only on pumping propellants into the core stage, the largest element of the giant launch vehicle.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/09/citing-valve-problem-nasa-will-load-only-the-sls-core-stage-in-next-countdown-test/

==
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/03/25/hydrazine-fueling-operations-underway-for-sls-booster-steering-system/
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« Odpowiedź #8 dnia: Luty 26, 2022, 00:36 »
NASA defends decision to proceed with modified SLS countdown test
by 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 Smegelsky

WASHINGTON — 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 countdown
April 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 countdown
by 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 Smegelsky

WASHINGTON — 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 repairs
by 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 Kowsky

WASHINGTON — 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 repairs
April 17, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket on pad 39B on Saturday evening. Credit: Spaceflight Now

NASA 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 uncertain
by 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 Foust

WASHINGTON — 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 week
April 18, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket on pad 39B. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA 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 pad
April 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 Photography
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/25/photos-close-ups-of-nasas-moon-rocket-on-the-launch-pad/

NASA planning next SLS countdown rehearsal in June
by 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 Kowsky

WASHINGTON — 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 June
May 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 Shiflett

Engineers 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 test
by 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 Gemignani

WASHINGTON — 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 19
May 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 19
by 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 Shiflett

WASHINGTON — 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 mission
June 6, 2022 Stephen Clark [SN]


NASA’s Lunar Flashlight spacecraft. Credit: NASA

NASA’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 testing
June 6, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA’s SLS moon rocket rolls toward pad 39B early Monday. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography

NASA’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 platform
by 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 Zeiters

WASHINGTON — 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 rehearsal
June 12, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket rolls to pad 39B at sunrise on June 6. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

NASA’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 20
by 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 Smegelsky

PASADENA, 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 39A
June 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 Now

The 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 countdown
June 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 Smegelsky

Countdown 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/
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« Odpowiedź #9 dnia: Czerwiec 21, 2022, 14:42 »
NASA nearly completes SLS countdown test
by Jeff Foust — June 20, 2022 Updated 7:45 a.m. Eastern to correct the source of the leak. [SN]


NASA came within 20 seconds of completing a countdown rehearsal of the SLS June 20 after hours of delays caused primarily by a hydrogen leak. Credit: NASA TV

WASHINGTON — NASA came within 20 seconds of completing a full countdown rehearsal of its Space Launch System rocket June 20, although it was not immediately clear if the agency got enough data from the test to be able to proceed with a launch.

After five hours of delays caused by various technical issues, the countdown for the fourth wet dress rehearsal (WDR) of the SLS at Launch Complex 39B made it to T-29 seconds, several seconds beyond the point where control was transferred from ground to flight computers, before the computer saw a “flag” and stopped the countdown at about 7:37 p.m. Eastern.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-nearly-completes-sls-countdown-test/

NASA’s Artemis moon rocket fully fueled for first time in practice countdown
June 20, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket stands fully fueled on pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center soon after the conclusion of a wet dress rehearsal Monday evening. Credit: NASA

NASA loaded more than three-quarters of a million gallons of super-cold propellant into the first Space Launch System moon rocket Monday in Florida, achieving key milestones in a practice countdown but falling short of all the test objectives after discovering a new hydrogen leak. (...)

Blackwell-Thompson said it was premature to decide on the next steps for the Artemis 1 launch campaign. Officials said getting through the practice countdown, or Wet Dress Rehearsal, was a prerequisite for continuing with preparations for the launch of the Artemis 1 test flight, the maiden launch of the 322-foot-tall (98-meter) SLS moon rocket to send an Orion crew capsule around the moon. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/06/20/nasas-artemis-moon-rocket-fully-fueled-for-first-time-in-countdown-dress-rehearsal/

NASA encouraged by SLS countdown rehearsal
by Jeff Foust — June 22, 2022 [SN]


NASA officials said June 21 they will spend a "couple days" reviewing data from the most recent countdown rehearsal to determine if they can move ahead into final launch preparations. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

WASHINGTON — NASA officials said they met most, but not all, of the objectives in a countdown rehearsal of the Space Launch System, and were still determining if they were ready to move ahead with the vehicle’s first launch. (...)

NASA wasn’t able to meet all of the objectives because the countdown was stopped at T-29 seconds, versus the original plan to go down to about T-9.3 seconds, just before the core stage’s four RS-25 engines would ignite on a launch. The countdown stopped just after control shifted from ground computers to flight systems, which noticed the hydrogen bleed line issue.

“We did expect, once we made that handoff, we would have a cutoff shortly thereafter because one of the tings the flight software looks for is the indication that the bleed system is in configuration for launch,” said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director. “We accomplished a majority of the objectives that we had not completed in the prior wet dress rehearsals.” (...)
https://spacenews.com/nasa-encouraged-by-sls-countdown-rehearsal/

NASA not planning another Artemis 1 countdown dress rehearsal
June 22, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket on Launch Complex 39B earlier this month. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Forgoing another countdown rehearsal, NASA plans to return the first Space Launch System rocket to its assembly hangar at the Kennedy Space Center next week for a hydrogen leak repair and continued preparations for liftoff on the Artemis 1 moon mission.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/06/22/nasa-not-planning-another-artemis-1-countdown-dress-rehearsal/

NASA declares SLS countdown rehearsal complete
by Jeff Foust — June 24, 2022 [SN]


NASA officials said that, with the fourth SLS countdown rehearsal June 20, engineers got data on all but a handful of issues, some of which had previously tested. Credit: NASA TV

WASHINGTON — NASA managers say they have completed testing of the Space Launch System after a recent countdown rehearsal and are ready to move into preparations for a launch as soon as late August.

In a briefing June 24, agency officials declared the test campaign for the SLS complete after a fourth wet dress rehearsal (WDR) of the vehicle at Launch Complex 39B four days earlier. That test stopped at T-29 seconds, about 20 seconds early, because of a leak in a hydrogen bleed line.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-declares-sls-countdown-rehearsal-complete/

NASA targeting late summer launch for first Artemis moon rocket
June 24, 2022 Stephen Clark EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated June 25 with completion of HPU hot fire test. [SFN]


NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket on pad 39B earlier this year. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

With a series of practice countdowns complete, NASA managers said Friday the powerful Space Launch System rocket could be ready for its first test flight in late August or early September to send an unpiloted Orion crew capsule around the moon.

NASA officials said the fourth practice countdown for the SLS moon rocket Monday achieved enough objectives to declare the rehearsals complete, allowing teams to proceed with launch preparations for the Artemis 1 test flight, the first mission of the agency’s Artemis lunar program.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/06/24/nasa-targeting-late-summer-launch-for-first-artemis-moon-rocket/

In a step closer to launch, NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket rolls back to hangar
July 2, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


The rocket for NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission rolls into High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building on Saturday, July 2. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

NASA’s powerful new Space Launch System moon rocket was hauled from its launch pad back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center Saturday for final repairs, testing and closeouts, moving closer to liftoff later this summer after completing a fueling demonstration last month.

The 322-foot-tall (98-meter) moon rocket rolled off its posts at pad 39B at 4:12 a.m. (0812 GMT) Saturday, about five hours behind schedule to allow time for extra inspections. A diesel-powered crawler-transporter carried the Space Launch System rocket down the ramp and along the rock-covered crawlerway on the 4.2-mile (6.8-kilometer) journey back to the Vehicle Assembly Building.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/07/02/artemis-1-rollback-to-vab/

NASA sets late August and early September launch dates for Artemis 1
by Jeff Foust — July 20, 2022 [SN]


The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft at Launch Complex 39B after the fourth wet dress rehearsal test in June. NASA is targeting dates in late August and early September for the Artemis 1 launch: Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

WASHINGTON — NASA has reserved three days in late August and early September for the first launch of its Space Launch System rocket to send the Orion spacecraft to orbit around the moon and back.

At a July 20 briefing, NASA officials announced that they had target launch dates of Aug. 29, Sept. 2 and Sept. 5 for the Artemis 1 mission, an uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft and the first launch of the SLS. Orion will spend up to six weeks in cislunar space before splashing down off the coast of San Diego.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-sets-late-august-and-early-september-launch-dates-for-artemis-1/

NASA tentatively targeting Aug. 29 for maiden flight of SLS moon rocket
July 20, 2022 William Harwood STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]


NASA’s first Space Launch System moon rocket inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

NASA is tentatively targeting Aug. 29 for the long-awaited maiden flight of the agency’s huge Space Launch System moon rocket, officials said Wednesday. But they cautioned major challenges remain for the oft-delayed mega rocket and an official date will not be set until later this summer.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/07/20/nasa-tentatively-targeting-aug-29-for-maiden-flight-of-sls-moon-rocket/

SLS moon rocket booster test-fired in Utah
July 21, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


A test article for NASA’s Space Launch System’s solid rocket booster fired for more than two minutes Thursday on a test stand in Utah. Credit: NASA TV / Spaceflight Now

Northrop Grumman ignited a full-scale booster for NASA’s Space Launch System Thursday on a hillside firing stand in Utah, completing a two-minute test designed to demonstrate a new motor ignitor and steering system for use on future versions of the giant moon rocket.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/07/21/sls-flight-support-booster-2/
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SLS na wyrzutni 39B widziany z samolotu!

https://twitter.com/SN15sraptors/status/1561340294376955904
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Artemis 1 cubesat nearing end of mission
Jeff Foust May 2, 2023 [SN]


Illustration of LunaH-Map, a cubesat launched on Artemis-1 that experienced a problem with its propulsion mission, putting its mission in jeopardy. Credit: Arizona State University

WASHINGTON — A cubesat launched as a secondary payload on Artemis 1 may end its operations at the end of the month unless it can get its propulsion system working.

The LunaH-Map spacecraft was one of 10 cubesats launched as secondary payloads on the inaugural flight of the Space Launch System last November. The spacecraft had planned to use an ion propulsion system on the 6U cubesat to perform a maneuver as it flew by the moon days later, ultimately allowing it to go into orbit.
https://spacenews.com/artemis-1-cubesat-nearing-end-of-mission/

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 II astronauts depart the historic Operation and Checkout building suited up in their test suits for a launch day demonstration at Launch Complex 39B.
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