NASA’s Space Launch System Moves One Step Closer to First Launch

The SLS has returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building for minor repairs, preparing to go to space late next month.

Wednesday, July 06, 2022 at 02:25 PM ET

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The rocket’s next trip to the launch pad is expected to be its final stop before Artemis I begins an uncrewed mission around the moon and back. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) Artemis I rocket has completed its wet dress rehearsals, returning to the Vehicle Assembly Building for final checkouts before its uncrewed mission to the moon.
The development of NASA's next-generation xEMU spacesuits faces a 20-month delay due to technical challenges and COVID-19, making a 2024 lunar landing unfeasible and highlighting the need for improved astronaut mobility.

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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Artemis I rocket is back inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to undergo “additional checkouts and activities” in preparation for its journey to the moon, expected as soon as next month.

The rollback of the enormous rocket to the VAB on Saturday followed a second wet dress rehearsal on Launch Pad 39B, where engineers found a faulty seal on the quick disconnect for an umbilical cord that runs between the tail service mast and the rocket’s core stage.