NASA Delays Launch Window for SLS

The agency’s most powerful rocket is faced with yet another setback following issues found during its wet dress rehearsal.

Jeremy Kariuki

Monday, April 18, 2022 at 06:37 PM ET

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A view of the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft just before sunrise at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. [File photo courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) will return to the Vehicle Assembly Bay (VAB) for troubleshooting a faulty upper stage check valve, a liquid hydrogen leak, and gaseous nitrogen supply issues.
This decision scrubs the early June launch window, pushing the target date to June 29 at the earliest.
The issues arose during multiple attempts at the wet dress rehearsal, which simulates launch-day operations, highlighting the complexity of preparing the rocket.
Precise timing is crucial for the SLS moon mission, as specific alignment of the Sun, Earth, and moon is required for the Orion spacecraft to receive adequate sunlight for power and heat.

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During a teleconference Monday, NASA announced that its Space Launch System (SLS) will return to the Vehicle Assembly Bay (VAB), where it will undergo troubleshooting for a faulty upper stage check valve, a liquid hydrogen leak, and gaseous nitrogen supply issues—scrubbing its early June launch window and instead pushing the target date to June 29 at the earliest.

“We had this issue with the [gaseous nitrogen] at the beginning of tanking, and then, maybe a little less known, we also had an issue during the drain operations—a very similar failure,” said Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson. “We had asked the team to go back and take a look at that, to help us understand our confidence going into wet dress run number four.”