On Monday, NASA made its second attempt at what it calls a liquid clothing rehearsal, which simulates each launch phase without the rocket actually leaving the launch site. The rehearsal is a crucial step in the first phase of NASA’s Artemis program, which is expected to bring humans back to the moon and land the first woman and the first colored person on the lunar surface by 2025. The test was halted on Monday before it was completed due to a problem with a panel on the mobile launcher that controls the core vent valve, said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launcher director for NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems program. The valve relieves pressure from the rocket core stage while the propellant tank is in progress, according to NASA. The team tried to solve the problem by testing both the main and the secondary valve, but could not fix it. Because of the time of day, officials decided to shut down operations so a team could look at the panel, Blackwell-Thompson said. “This was a test and the purpose of the test is to fully understand our systems in a launch day configuration,” he said. “Our team has achieved a lot.” It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. The test was originally scheduled to be completed on Sunday, but was put on hold before the propellant was loaded. This was due to problems with two fans used to supply pressure to the mobile launcher – the mobile tower on which the rocket sits before taking off. NASA said Monday it was able to fix the malfunction of the fans needed to push closed areas inside the launcher and prevent dangerous gases. The results of the wet dress rehearsal will determine when the unpaid Artemis A will be launched on a mission that transcends the moon and returns to Earth. During the flight, the unpaid Orion spacecraft will launch to the top of the SLS rocket to reach the moon and travel thousands of miles beyond it – farther than any spacecraft intended to carry humans. This mission is expected to last a few weeks and will be completed with Orion being launched into the Pacific Ocean. Artemis I will be the last test field for Orion before the spacecraft carries astronauts to the Moon, 1,000 times farther from Earth than the International Space Station. After the Artemis I unmanned flight, Artemis II will be a full-moon flight of the Moon and Artemis III will return the astronauts to the lunar surface. The timetable for the next launch of the mission depends on the results of the Artemis I mission. CNN’s Katie Hunt and Ashley Strickland contributed to this report.
