The space agency said it wanted to make some repairs as well as assess the current situation and would therefore launch the powerful SLS moon rocket and Orion spacecraft from the launch site back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s new SLS moon rocket first arrived at the launch site four weeks ago before a test involving filling the rocket with fuel and a virtual countdown. The first attempt at the rehearsal took place earlier this month, but was canceled due to a fan problem that hit the rocket launcher. A day later, on April 4, a second attempt stopped when engineers located a stuck valve in ground equipment associated with the test process. The third attempt, made last week, was a reduced-scale process that focused on supplying only the tanks of the main stage instead of trying to fill the upper stage as well. But even this method hit an obstacle after engineers spotted a leak of liquid hydrogen, which prompted the team to resign. Initially there was hope that the test could continue in the coming days, but on Sunday NASA announced that it was returning the rocket to the assembly building to make some repairs before trying again. Cessation of the process has also been associated with work performed by an off-site supplier. “Because of the upgrades required at a nitrogen gas supplier used for off-site testing, NASA will take the opportunity to bring the SLS and Orion back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to replace a defective upper-stage control valve and a small leak into the umbilical cord tail service tissue, “the space agency said. “During this period, the agency will also review the schedules and options for demonstration of propellant loading operations prior to launch.” NASA will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. ET on Monday, April 18, to discuss the status of the wet dress rehearsal. Failure to perform a successful wet dress rehearsal is a setback for NASA, although at the same time such tests are designed to show problems, allowing engineers to do everything right for launch day. The rehearsal is the last major test before the Artemis I unmanned mission, which will use the SLS rocket to power the Orion spacecraft on a flight around the moon. The launch is scheduled for no earlier than May, but recent issues are likely to slip through that target date. After a successful Artemis I flight, the Artemis II will follow the same route, but this time with a crew. The long-awaited Artemis III mission, currently scheduled for no earlier than 2024, will bring the first woman and the first man of color to the lunar surface in the first touchdown crew since 1972.
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