This Friday, May 6, NASA held a press conference call during which Jim Free, its associate administrator for exploration systems development, gave an update on the Space Launch System (SLS). The development of the rocket which must bring back the human being on the Moon suffers, once again, delays.
Difficulties during dress rehearsal
Everything seemed to be in good shape in March, when this 98-meter-tall monster was finally installed on its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and unveiled to the rest of the world. The mission of the SLS is not less: the rocket, propelling the Orion capsule, must bring back American astronauts to the Moon, but also help with the construction of Lunar Gateway, a permanent base in lunar orbit.
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Only, not everything goes as planned. The rocket had to undergo a battery of tests and in particular a dress rehearsal before the launch of the Artemis I mission; this consists of loading the launcher with fuel and carrying out a practice countdown to only 9.4 seconds from the moment of lift-off. This rehearsal began on April 1 and was supposed to end two days later.
However, NASA teams encountered several problems, including a stuck valve on the rocket’s mobile launch tower, and a hydrogen leak in one of the “ umbilicals connecting the tower to the SLS, which delayed and eventually stopped the test after three attempts to refuel. As a result, the device was taken back to its assembly building for teams to investigate these issues and make any necessary corrections.
Jim Free explained that this work is going well for the moment. Thus, the SLS should return to its launch pad for a new dress rehearsal at the beginning of June.
To move the SLS from its assembly building to its launch pad, substantial means must be put in place. Photograph: NASA HQ PHOTO/FlickR
The next tests may not be the last
However, NASA will not set a launch date for Artemis 1 until it has completed the test and analyzed the data obtained. During the teleconference, however, Jim Free mentioned August as the earliest possible date at this time. Initially, the Artemis 1 mission was to take place in May or June.
In addition, the associate administrator specified that the next dress rehearsal may not be the last, ” it’s a challenge to work on these new systems and complicated vehicles. We certainly own our program situation, but I think we’re family compared to what we’ve done in the past. “, he explained.
Indeed, NASA is accustomed to this type of difficulty, as was the case for example during the early days of the space shuttle. At the time, she had arrived on her launch pad for a dress rehearsal in December 1980, but she had not been launched until April 12, 1981.
The missions awaiting the SLS
As a reminder, the SLS rocket has been under development for more than a decade now, and costs NASA astronomical sums. Importantly, the first four SLS missions are each expected to cost over $4 billion to execute.
The Artemis I mission will be to send Orion into lunar orbit. It will be followed by Artemis 2, a manned mission around the Moon, in 2024. Artemis 3, the first moon landing planned by NASA since 1972, is expected to take place in 2025 at the earliest. However, these dates are subject to change.