NASA completes Artemis II SLS fueling test - VIDEO
NASA has successfully fueled its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and carried out a full launch countdown demonstration for the Artemis II mission during a wet dress rehearsal held Thursday at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
As part of the rehearsal, engineers loaded more than 700,000 gallons of liquid propellant into the rocket, News.Az reports, citing NASA.
A closeout crew was dispatched to the launch pad to simulate final preparations, including closing the hatches of the Orion spacecraft. Teams also completed two terminal count runs — the concluding phase of the launch countdown sequence. Members of the Artemis II crew observed portions of the operation from the Launch Control Center at Kennedy.
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Throughout the test, specialists carefully monitored liquid hydrogen fueling procedures, an area that had presented technical challenges during earlier attempts. During this rehearsal, hydrogen gas levels remained within acceptable safety thresholds, providing increased confidence in newly installed seals at a key interface responsible for routing fuel into the rocket.
Early in fueling operations, teams experienced a loss of ground communications in the Launch Control Center. Operators temporarily moved to backup communication methods to maintain safe propellant loading activities before normal communications channels were restored. Engineers isolated the equipment that caused the issue.
While engineers review data from the test, the Artemis II crew is preparing to enter quarantine late Friday, Feb. 20, in Houston. Although NASA has not set a formal launch date, beginning the roughly 14-day quarantine to limit the crew’s exposure to illness before launch preserves flexibility in the March launch window.
Over the next several days, technicians will use cranes to set up temporary access platforms on the mobile launcher. The platforms will allow them to reach the upper left and right segments of the SLS solid rocket boosters and core stage intertank to service the flight termination system and retest it to meet Eastern Range safety requirements. The platforms were developed based on lessons learned during Artemis I and enable NASA to complete end-to-end testing of the safety system while at the launch pad rather than rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA Kennedy for retesting.
The closeout crew also will practice closeout operations once more, adding to the team’s proficiency.
By Nijat Babayev
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