NASA prepares for final wet dress rehearsal before uncrewed launch around the moon
VIDEO: NASA prepares for final wet dress rehearsal before uncrewed launch around the moon VIDEO: NASA prepares for final wet dress rehearsal before uncrewed launch around the moon (Melonie Holt, WFTV.com/WFTV)KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA’s fourth wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis I moon mission is taking place, in preparation for the uncrewed flight test around the moon. On Monday, the team was forced to do some troubleshooting while fueling the massive SLS rocket with 700,000 gallons of supercooled propellant. They’ve worked extremely hard to get to where we are today,” said Jeremy Graeber, Artemis I assistant launch director. I think of it as an extension of all we’ve been working towards since NASA started out.”Read: Final preparations underway for NASA’s next Artemis I wet dress rehearsalMonday’s wet dress rehearsal, at Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center will run the Artemis I launch team through a variety of tests, including a full launch countdown and other procedures the team will use for launch. The team is working on a plan to reseal at the hydrogen leak so they continue today’s practice countdown to launch.
wftv.comFinal preparations underway for NASA’s next Artemis I wet dress rehearsal
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — At Kennedy Space Center’s launch complex 39B, teams are making final preparations for NASA’s next Artemis I wet dress rehearsal. Read: NASA officials give an update on the status of Artemis-I test, launchOn Wednesday NASA’s Associate Administrator Jim Free provided an update on the plan for this weekend’s wet dress rehearsal. This is the Artemis program, this is the first step from a launch perspective of getting us back to the moon,” Free said. Read: Date set for next Artemis I dress rehearsal attemptHe said the unmanned launch is a key component of future flights. NASA said that once the wet dress rehearsal is complete a launch date for Artemis I will be set for sometime this year.
wftv.comNASA officials give an update on the status of Artemis-I test, launch
NASA officials give an update on the status of Artemis-I test, launch (WFTV)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Artemis I Moon rocket is now back at the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs after a faulty valve canceled last week’s wet dress rehearsal. Officials said the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will return to launchpad 39-B once the repairs are made. Jim Free with NASA said rolling the SLS back to the VAB was the right call in order to make the necessary fixes. Until teams are able to demonstrate the ability to load propellant into the SLS tanks and conduct a full launch countdown an actual launch date for Artemis -I will remain up in the air. Read: NASA Artemis mission on hold as testing delayed for second timeNASA officials said the earliest possibility for the test will be sometime in August.
wftv.comNASA’s moon rocket set to return to VAB for repairs, in preparation for ‘wet dress rehearsal’
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA’s Artemis I Moon rocket is set to make its way back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to begin repairs in preparation for next week’s wet dress rehearsal. At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Artemis I is scheduled to leave launch pad 39B and begin its 4-mile journey atop the crawler-transporter back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. After returning to the VAB, teams will replace a faulty upper stage check valve and a small leak within the tail service mast umbilical ground plate housing on the mobile launcher. The supplier for the gaseous nitrogen will also upgrade its pipeline configuration to support Artemis I testing and launch. Read: 14-year-old, 16-year-old killed in crash in Osceola County after car hits tree, troopers sayNext week’s test, known as the “wet dress rehearsal,” will run the Artemis I launch team through a variety of tests, including a full launch countdown and other procedures the team will use for launch.
wftv.comNASA moon rocket faces more flight delays as repairs mount
NASA Moon Rocket FILE - The NASA Artemis rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building moving slowly on an 11-hour journey to pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, March 17, 2022. The flight debut of NASA's new mega moon rocket faces additional delays, following a series of failed fueling tests, officials said Monday, April 18, 2022. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File) (John Raoux)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — (AP) — The flight debut of NASA’s mega moon rocket faces additional delays following a string of failed fueling tests. The next opportunity to send an empty capsule to the moon on a test flight would be at the end of June or July. The 30-story Space Launch System rocket has been on the pad at Kennedy Space Center for the past month.
wftv.comFuel leak thwarts NASA's dress rehearsal for moon rocket
NASA-Moon Rocket FILE -The NASA Artemis rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard stands on pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., March 18, 2022. After a series of equipment problems, NASA attempted an abbreviated fueling test of its mega moon rocket Thursday, April 14, 2022 at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File) (John Raoux)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — (AP) — NASA's latest attempt to fuel its huge moon rocket for a countdown test was thwarted Thursday by a hazardous hydrogen leak, the latest in a series of vexing equipment trouble. The launch team had just begun loading fuel into the core stage of the rocket when the leak cropped up. This was NASA's third shot at a dress rehearsal, a required step ahead of a test flight to the moon.
wftv.comNASA’s moon rocket test canceled on Saturday, here's why
NASA Moon Rocket FILE -The NASA Artemis rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard stands on pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, March 18, 2022. NASA is kicking off a critical countdown test for its new moon rocket. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File) (John Raoux)KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA’s critical test of the SLS moon rocket was scrubbed on Saturday. #Artemis I Moon mission update: @NASAKennedy will conduct a modified “wet dress rehearsal” in preparation for launch with tanking operations no earlier than April 14. @NASA_SLS and @NASA_Orion will then return to the Vehicle Assembly Building: https://t.co/htuT1epd40 pic.twitter.com/LzCGeycESy — NASA (@NASA) April 9, 2022Saturday’s start was canceled after engineers identified a helium check valve that was not functioning properly.
wftv.comMore delays for NASA's moon rocket test, fueling stalled
Problems with fans at the launch pad thwarted the first effort, while a stuck valve halted the second attempt. (Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP) (Joel Kowsky)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — (AP) — NASA’s dress rehearsal for its mega moon rocket is off until at least this weekend because of a pair of technical problems that kept stalling a fueling test. Balky fans at the launch pad thwarted the first effort, while a stuck valve halted the second attempt. The Orion crew capsule atop the rocket will be hurled to the moon in a passenger-less test flight, looping around but not landing before returning to Earth. Liftoff is scheduled for Friday from Kennedy Space Center, barely a mile from the pad holding the SLS rocket.
wftv.comNASA’s moon rocket test is scrubbed for Sunday
NASA Moon Rocket FILE -The NASA Artemis rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard stands on pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, March 18, 2022. NASA is kicking off a critical countdown test for its new moon rocket. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File) (John Raoux)KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Update: NASA’s “wet dress rehearsal” of the Artemis I is scrubbed on Sunday. Looking at a 24 hr turnaround.-JP — NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (@NASAGroundSys) April 3, 2022Previous Story:NASA’s critical test of the SLS moon rocket is set proceed on Sunday. On Saturday, lightning hit the towers that surround and protect the rocket at Kennedy Space Center.
wftv.comDress rehearsal: NASA moon rocket's last test before launch
NASA Moon Rocket FILE -The NASA Artemis rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard stands on pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, March 18, 2022. NASA is kicking off a critical countdown test for its new moon rocket. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File) (John Raoux)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — (AP) — NASA kicked off a critical countdown test Friday for its new moon rocket, a 30-story behemoth that could make its first lunar test flight by summer. NASA plans to set a launch date after analyzing the results of the dress rehearsal for the Space Launch System rocket — SLS for short. Towering 322 feet (98 meters), the rocket made its debut at the Kennedy Space Center launch pad two weeks ago.
wftv.comNASA offering to fly your name around the moon on Artemis I
NASA offering to fly your name around the moon on Artemis I A section of the Artemis rocket with the Orion space capsule is seen inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center, Friday, Nov. 5, 2021, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Have you ever wanted to travel into space but can’t afford the hefty price tag? NASA is offering the next best thing: a free virtual boarding pass with your name on it. “We’re getting ready for #Artemis I — and we want to take you with us,” NASA tweeted Wednesday. Artemis I “will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration,” according to NASA’s website. “During this flight, the (Orion) spacecraft will launch on the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown,” the website says.
wftv.comThe debut — and launch — of NASA’s massive SLS moon rocket is delayed again. But officials say it’s making significant progress.
The much-anticipated rollout of NASA’s moon rocket and capsule to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a fueling test will be delayed for another few weeks, the space agency said Wednesday.
washingtonpost.comCourt ruling allows SpaceX to develop lunar lander for NASA
ORLANDO, Fla. — NASA will resume working with Space X to develop a modern human lunar lander. This comes after the U.S. Court of Federal Claims denied Blue Origin’s bid protest, upholding NASA’s selection of SpaceX to develop the Artemis Lunar Lander. NASA continues working with multiple American companies in order to foster competition and commercial readiness for crewed missions to the Moon. Read: NASA makes final preparations for rocket heading around the moon in FebruaryUnder the Artemis program, NASA plans to lead the world in landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon’s surface. Read: NASA confirms there is water on the moon that astronauts may be able to useThe Artemis mission will also conduct other operations on the Moon, including getting ready for human missions to Mars.
wftv.comNASA: SpaceX human moon lander work on ‘pause’ until Blue Origin lawsuit is resolved
A week after Blue Origin filed a lawsuit against NASA over its decision to award SpaceX a nearly $3 billion moon contract the space agency says it is voluntarily pausing work on the human lunar landing system until the legal matter is resolved.
‘Next Great Leap’: Kennedy Space Center announces events to celebrate Artemis missions
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has announced special programs and events beginning next week to celebrate NASA’s Artemis missions to return humans to the moon. “Artemis Short Film Festival”: The series of shorts will explore key elements of upcoming Artemis missions, featuring everything from ground support to launch services. Veteran NASA astronaut Mike Mullane will also host a similar talk on July 24 at 3 p.m. Veteran NASA astronaut Mike Mullane will also host a similar talk on July 24 at 3 p.m. “Women in Space”: Under Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the moon. Company begins selling $125K tickets for balloon trips to the edge of spaceAll events are included with daily admission to the visitor complex.
wftv.comNASA successfully fires up moon rocket during ‘Green Run’ do-over test
At 4:37 p.m. the core stage fired its four engines on the test stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. A previous green run hot fire on Jan. 16 was also supposed to run for eight minutes but barely fired for one minute. Ad[RELATED: What to know about NASA’s final Green Run test of the Artemis rocket]🚀 Today, the @NASA_SLS core stage that will power our @NASAArtemis I mission to the Moon successfully completed its Green Run hot fire test. Here’s a recap: https://t.co/QpYSIQq4ox pic.twitter.com/aLmEkS9pbA — NASA (@NASA) March 18, 2021Engineers had to repeat the test to get more data. The core stage will be refurbished before it’s sent via barge ship down to Florida.
SpaceX will launch NASA’s lunar Gateway on Falcon Heavy rocket
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy will launch the lunar Gateway propulsion system and the habitation module, the foundation of the orbiting space outpost, NASA announced Tuesday. AdThe U.S. space agency’s launch services program will manage the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch on NASA’s end overseeing the build, delivery and launch. NASA has selected Falcon Heavy to launch the first two elements of the lunar Gateway together on one mission! “The Falcon Heavy was chosen probably because the Falcon Heavy is less expensive and the SLS isn’t quite ready yet,” Forczyk said. That element is slated to launch on the second flight of NASA’s Space Launch System, the agency’s Artemis rocket.
‘We need every mind we can get,’ Past, present NASA leaders say diversity is key to great discoveries ahead
The pre-recorded panel discussion aired Wednesday at noon on NASA TV and online, along with NASA’s social media channels. In his role at NASA, Delgado ensures small businesses are able to compete for NASA contracts, which can add up to millions, making or breaking a small business. AdThe “Power of African American Leadership in NASA” panel examined how different leaders throughout the U.S. space program have helped drive success. Asked why diversity is so important to space exploration or any industry Wyche said diversity is tied to innovation. I mean, everybody, every bright mind that’s willing.”AdThe event was hosted in partnership with several NASA groups to encourage diversity is one way NASA is celebrating Black History month.
NASA begins new moon rocket engine tests, still evaluating if another Green Run test will happen
NASA continues to test the RS-25 engines that will send astronauts atop the Artemis rocket, known as the Space Launch System, to the moon. [Watch the rocket engine test at the top of this story]NASA says the tests will provide important data for Aerojet Rocketdyne as the contractor begins building new RS-25 engines for future SLS flights. LIVE: Watch an RS-25 engine that will help power our @NASA_SLS rocket on future missions to the Moon and Mars come alive at @NASAStennis. At this rate, the 212-foot core stage made by Boeing is down to about six “tanks” on its lifespan. In a news release regarding the RS-25 engine testing, NASA said the Green Run team continues to evaluate if a second hot fire test of the core stage is required.