Space Up Close by Ken Kremer 5/9/2022
Repairs in Progress for Next Fueling Test after NASA SLS Moon Rocket Rolls Back to VAB from Pad39B: Photos
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – Repairs are in progress on NASA’s first ever Space Launch System (SLS) Mega Moon rocket and ground systems required to carry out the next attempt at the critical countdown and fueling test – known as the Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) – after the 32 story tall stack rolled off the launch site at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) overnight on April 25 to April 26.
The WDR cryogenic fueling and practice countdown test was halted after 3 attempts in April due to technical problems mostly with the ground systems.
The WDR must be successfully completed before NASA can proceed forward with the launch of the maiden SLS on the unpiloted Artemis 1 lunar mission now slated for no earlier than (NET) this summer.
Due to the huge volume of work ahead being compounded by another time consuming back and forth trip between the VAB and pad 39B after a hopefully successful WDR as soon as June, launch of the uncrewed Artemis 1 test flight is likely to slip to either the early or late August launch windows.
The 4.2 mile (6.8 km) journey of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket integrated with the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission from pad 39B to the VAB took about 10 hours -beginning at 7:54 p.m. ET Monday evening, April 25 and concluding just before dawn at approximately 6 a.m. ET on Tuesday morning, April 26.
Enjoy our gallery of up close photos of the SLS stack move taken from the KSC Press Site by the Space UpClose team of Ken Kremer and Jean Wright.
More:
https://www.spaceupclose.com/2022/05/repairs-in-progress-for-next-fueling-test-after-nasa-sls-moon-rocket-rolls-back-to-vab-from-pad39b-photos/
