At around 2:30 p.m. ET on July 2, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission were firmly secured inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center after a four-mile trek from launch pad 39B that began at 4:12 a.m. ET Saturday, July 2.

NASA’s Artemis Moon Rocket and Spacecraft Arrive at Vehicle Assembly Building

Over the next several days, the team will extend work platforms to allow access to SLS and Orion. In the coming weeks, teams will replace a seal on the quick disconnect of the tail service mast umbilical and perform additional checkouts and activities before returning to the pad for launch. Seen here is a close-up view of the Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket as it rolls to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 6, 2022. Carried by the 6.65-million-pound crawler-transporter 2, the rocket was traveling to the launch pad for NASA’s second wet dress rehearsal attempt ahead of the Artemis I launch. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky NASA has analyzed the data from the wet dress rehearsal conducted Monday, June 20, and determined the testing campaign is complete. The agency will roll Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy next week to prepare the rocket and spacecraft for launch.

“During the wet dress rehearsal activities, we have incrementally added to our knowledge about how the rocket and the ground systems work together, and our teams have become proficient in launch procedures across multiple sites. We have completed the rehearsal phase, and everything we’ve learned will help improve our ability to lift off during the target launch window,” said Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for common exploration systems at NASA Headquarters. “The team is now ready to take the next step and prepare for launch.” NASA analyzed the data from the wet dress rehearsal conducted on June 20 and determined the testing campaign was complete. Now that the rocket and spacecraft have been rolled back to the VAB, preparations can proceed for the upcoming launch.Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.

Source: This news is originally published by scitechdaily

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