A major test for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is about to begin (again). Earlier this year, NASA assembled the Artemis 1 SLS rocket and carried it to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. However, problems with fans in the tower and a valve in the rocket itself delayed the “wet dress” rehearsal. Now, this test is back in progress, with the very important countdown scheduled for Thursday, reports Ars Technica. NASA has been working at SLS for more than a decade. The goal of the project was to create a launch vehicle that could lift heavy payloads and carry them farther into the solar system. It is also at the heart of NASA’s plans to return to the moon. Growth is initially expected to cost $ 18 billion with the initial launch in 2016. It has been delayed at least 16 times and the cost exceeded $ 21 billion between 2011 and 2021. A wet dress includes the full power supply of the vehicle and the countdown as if you were going to launch the rocket. However, NASA will cancel the countdown to the T-10 seconds. There are about 25 “critical events” that take place before this, giving NASA information on how well the SLS works. However, this is not the same wet dress that NASA hoped to wear. In early April, the service stopped testing due to problems with the launch tower. Last week, NASA filled the core stage about halfway with liquid oxygen before discovering that a manual vent valve had been left in the wrong place. And then he located a stuck non-return valve in the upper tier. Due to the valve problem in the upper stage, known as the Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, NASA will fail to refuel this part of the vehicle. Fortunately, only two of these crucial events are connected to the upper stage. The upper stage was completed by the United Launch Alliance four years ago, well in front of most of the vehicle. However, NASA does not believe that the delays are to blame, as the valve is estimated to last for 20 years or more. So NASA feels confident that it can move on with the wet dress once it has fed the basic stage. He plans to start this process on Tuesday afternoon (April 12), marking the third time he is pumping fuel into the SLS. It is unclear whether NASA will conduct a second rehearsal of liquid-powered clothing in both stages, but any additional delays will likely delay the last launch period of June 2022. When launched, Artemis 1 will ship an unpaid Orion capsule around moon and back to Earth. Artemis shipments will not be cheap. NASA estimated about $ 2 billion per launch, but a government report said the actual cost is probably closer to $ 4 billion. Both are much more than SpaceX expects to spend on Starship launches in the coming years. This is largely because the SLS is a consumable vehicle — you get one launch and then you have to build another. NASA has set an ambitious timetable for Artemis 1 to Artemis 5, with more potential missions beyond that. In just a few days, we will have a better idea of whether or not NASA should delay it all again. Read now:
