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Artemis I Rocket to Spend 4th of July in the VAB, Getting Ready for Moon Trip

Willy-nilly, earlier in June, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket meant to kickstart the Artemis Moon exploration program was forced to pass the wet dress rehearsal test that effectively clears it for launch as the Artemis I mission.
SLS still on the pad 13 photos
Photo: NASA
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We say willy-nilly because the rocket didn’t really seem to want to pass the test. After it completely failed it, back in the early months of the year, on account of leaking and a bunch of other issues, the rocket tried to do that again back in June, when NASA had another go at the test.

And by that, we mean the thing leaked once more, but this time NASA chose to, for the lack of a better word, ignore the issue and push through the test. Without going as far as calling it a success (NASA now describes the test as "completed"), the procedure opened the doors to the first actual uncrewed flight of the SLS-Orion combo.

The rocket was supposed to start its journey back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will get ready for Artemis I, on June 30, but an issue with the crawlerway, the road the crawler-transporter takes between the launch pad and VAB, prevented that from happening. After conducting “a series of conditioning efforts driving the massive transporter up and down the slope leading to the launch pad” to level the crawlerway, the organization seems ready to start the move.

NASA is now targeting today, July 1, to start the procedure, with first motion planned for 6 p.m. EDT. A livestream of the rocket’s arrival at VAB will be available on the YouTube channel attached below.

Once inside the facility, the SLS will be configured for launch. NASA says it targets late August for the rollout of the rocket, with an actual launch date to be announced “after replacing hardware associated with the leak” discovered during the June test.

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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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