NASA Completes Wet Dress Rehearsal for Agency’s Most Powerful Rocket

NASA Completes Wet Dress Rehearsal for Agency’s Most Powerful Rocket—With One Hiccup

Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 02:05 PM ET

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NASA has three different configurations planned for the SLS. The first configuration, Block 1, will have a total thrust of 8.8 million pounds—15 percent more than that of the Saturn V rocket. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA successfully completed a wet dress rehearsal for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket after multiple delays, marking a significant step toward its operational launch.
During the rehearsal, the SLS fully loaded its propellant tanks and simulated the terminal launch countdown, despite a hydrogen leak that launch controllers had to work around.
NASA officials confirmed that the majority of the test's objectives were met, and the Orion spacecraft performed optimally, though a specific "bleed flow" element was not fully verified.
A firm launch date for the SLS has not yet been confirmed, but upcoming launch windows are being considered starting in late July.

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After multiple delays and attempts, on Monday NASA completed a wet dress rehearsal for the Space Launch System (SLS), the agency’s most powerful rocket. The rehearsal wasn’t perfect, but it took the SLS one giant step forward toward becoming operational.

Having previously encountered temperature limit issues, faulty core stage valves, and a liquid oxygen leak, the launch team fully loaded all of the SLS’s propellant tanks. Following that major milestone, NASA proceeded with the terminal launch countdown, where launch day operations are simulated.