Due to a valve issue on ground equipment, NASA's second attempt to fuel its Artemis I moon mission megarocket was once again delayed on Monday, April 4.
However, experts said that the delay during the wet dress rehearsal was not surprising because this is part of the process and how this system operates.
Artemis I Team's Second Attempt at the Wet Dress Rehearsal Unsuccessful
According to NASA's blog post, the Artemis I team ended the wet dress rehearsal test at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 4, after partially loading liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage tank. This was the first event at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B where new systems were used.
The team was able to monitor the Artemis I core stage when it was exposed to cryogenic liquids during the wet dress rehearsal and collect data that will inform updates to propellant loading procedures. This provided the teams with an excellent opportunity to train and to ensure the accuracy of the modeled loading operations.
However, the crews ran into a problem with a panel on the mobile launcher that controls the core stage vent valve during the chilldown of the lines in preparation for loading the liquid hydrogen. Given the limited time to fix the problem as teams neared the end of their shifts, the launch director decided to call the test off for the day.
Due the vent valve issue, the launch director has called off the test for the day. The team is preparing to offload LOX and will begin discussing how quickly the vehicle can be turned around for the next attempt. A lot of great learning and progress today.-JP
— NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (@NASAGroundSys) April 4, 2022
In a Twitter update, NASA's Exploration Ground Systems' officials said, "The team is preparing to offload LOX (liquid oxygen) and will begin discussing how quickly the vehicle can be turned around for the next attempt."
Experts' Take on the Unsuccessful Wet Dress Rehearsal
Dale Ketcham of Space Florida, the state's aerospace economic development agency, said that it is not surprising that there are delays during the wet dress rehearsal because this is part of the process.
NASA, according to Ketcham, wants these problems to be revealed now, rather than closer to launch time. "You want to catch these issues in a wet dress rehearsal. It's a rehearsal. It's like a theater performance."
Meanwhile, Don Platt, a Florida Tech space systems professor, explained that the delays tied to fueling are not something new.
"If we go back to the Shuttle program, one of the major reasons for delays, even postponements for significant amounts of time had to do with both ground support systems that processed and loaded the liquid hydrogen into the rocket," Platt said.
Space X Gives Way for Artemis I's Wet Dress Rehearsal
SpaceX initially planned to launch four private astronauts to the International Space Station on the Ax-1 mission for the Houston company Axiom Space on April 3.
However, the launch was pushed back to April 6 to provide NASA time for the Artemis I wet dress rehearsal. Following NASA's Artemis I fueling delays, SpaceX pushed back the launch date even more, this time to Friday, April 8.
It was noted that the mission will be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Pad 39A, which is close to Artemis I's Pad 39B. Hence, whether or not the Ax-1 mission will launch on April 8 hinges on NASA's intentions for the Artemis I fueling test.
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