NASA’s Mega Moon Rocket to Return to Launch Pad

The SLS is making a comeback after several hardware issues were found during its last wet dress rehearsal.

Jeremy Kariuki

Monday, May 23, 2022 at 01:30 PM ET

Verified

The next launch window for the SLS begins July 26. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) will return to launch pad 39B in early June for a third wet dress rehearsal attempt following two previous failed attempts due to hardware issues and software problems.
Engineers have addressed multiple issues, including liquid hydrogen system leaks, faulty check valves, and software updates encountered during prior rehearsal attempts.
Despite previous delays, NASA considers a "significant amount of test objectives" to have been completed during the earlier rehearsal attempts.
The success of this upcoming rehearsal is crucial for determining whether a launch can occur during the next window, which opens July 26, or during subsequent windows later in 2022.

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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) will return to launch pad 39B in early June to reattempt its wet dress rehearsal, according to the agency.

The SLS has seen a handful of delays as a result of two failed wet dress rehearsal attempts, which included various hardware issues. The moon rocket rolled out to launch pad 39B in late March, but returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on April 26, because of a faulty upper stage check valve and a small leak.