The second prelaunch check marketing campaign for NASA’s Artemis 2 moon rocket is underway, and considered one of its most important operations will occur at the moment (Feb. 19).
Artemis 2 SLS moist gown rehearsal newest information: NASA continues 2nd Artemis rocket fueling check
NASA is offering a commentary-free, 24-hour livestream of SLS throughout the WDR, which may be seen right here on Area.com in addition to on YouTube. The company mentioned that it’s going to additionally air a separate stream that includes essential WDR actions; Area.com will simulcast that feed, if it is made out there.
A “go/no-go” ballot to start tanking is predicted at the moment at round 9:50 a.m. EST (1450 GMT), with the core stage’s LH2 “gradual fill” starting about an hour later. Fueling operations, together with car stage cool-downs, are scheduled to final from 9:50 a.m. EST (1450 GMT) till 3:30 p.m. EST (2030 GMT), when a deliberate countdown maintain might be carried out because the LH2 and LOX strains enter a replenishing part.
The 2-day-long WDR is supposed to place Artemis 2 and floor groups by their paces and be sure that all gear, personnel and procedures are appropriately in place and able to launch astronauts to the moon. Artemis 2 is the second mission of NASA’s Artemis program and the primary to fly with a crew aboard the Orion capsule.
WDR — Moist Costume Rehearsal
SLS — Area Launch System
LOX — Liquid Oxygen
LH2 — Liquid Hydrogen
KSC — Kennedy Area Middle
As soon as cleared for launch, Orion will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and the Canadian Area Company‘s Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey across the moon and again to Earth on the primary crewed lunar voyage for the reason that Apollo missions resulted in 1972.
All through testing at the moment, engineers at KSC might be maintaining an in depth eye on a piece of the SLS cell launch platform that connects to the underside of the rocket, referred to as the tail service mast, the place umbilical strains run to provide gas and different sources to the rocket.
The tail service mast “fast disconnect,” the place it interfaces with the rocket, was the positioning of LH2 leaks throughout the first Artemis 2 WDR earlier this month, and can be the identical part that plagued the rocket with leaks throughout the Artemis 1 launch marketing campaign in 2022. These points resulted in three rollbacks of SLS to the Car Meeting Constructing at KSC that 12 months — a repeat of which NASA is hoping to keep away from this time round. Officers say that classes discovered from Artemis 1 have resulted in {hardware} modifications and improved procedures, which is able to enable them to higher handle thermal circumstances throughout cryogenic fueling and (hopefully) keep away from related leaks.
Ought to mission groups attain the opposite facet of at the moment’s tanking operations, the moist gown rehearsal will enter a sequence of countdown milestones to simulate a wide range of launch eventualities, together with holds on the clock, launch scrub circumstances and detanking. A profitable WDR might put Artemis 2 on observe to raise off as early as March 6, although NASA officers say they’re ready to evaluate WDR information earlier than setting an official goal date.
The March window for Artemis 2 extends from March 6-9, and contains March 11. A subsequent window opens to start with of April. Additional alternatives fluctuate across the begins and ends of every month thereafter, as they correspond with the part of the moon for optimum launch circumstances.
A full timeline of at the moment’s procedures, which work towards a T-0 of 8:30 p.m. EST (0130 GMT, Feb. 20), is as follows, courtesy of NASA:
- L-16 hours and counting (round 4:40 a.m. EST)
- L-15H30M – L-13H30M: All non-essential personnel depart Launch Complicated 39B
- L-14H15M – L-12H05M: Air-to-gaseous nitrogen (GN2) changeover and car
- cavity inerting
- L-13H45M – L-12H15M: Floor Launch Sequencer (GLS) activation
- L-12 hours and counting
- L-12H35M – L-9H50M: 2-hour 45-minute inbuilt countdown maintain begins
- L-10H50M: Launch staff decides if they’re “go” or “no-go” to start tanking the
- rocket
- L-10H50M – L-9H35M: Orion chilly soak
- L-10H40M – L-10H325M: Core stage LOX switch line chilldown
- L-10H40M – L-9H55M: Core stage LH2 chilldown
- L-10H20M – L-9H40M: Core stage LOX major propulsion system chilldown
- L-10 hours and counting
- L-9H55M – L-9:35H: Core stage LH2 gradual fill begin
- L-9H50M: Resume T-Clock from T-8H10M
- L-9H45M – L-9H30M: Core stage LOX gradual fill
- L-9H35M – L-8H10M: Core stage LH2 quick fill
- L-9H30M – L-7H10M: Core stage LOX quick fill
- L-9H15M – L-8H45M: ICPS LH2 chilldown
- L-8H45M – L-7H55M: ICPS LH2 quick fill begin
- L-8H10M – L-7H10M: ICPS LOX major propulsion system chilldown
- L-8H10M – L-8H: Core stage LH2 topping
- L-8H – terminal rely: Core stage LH2 replenish
- L-7H55M – L-7H40M: ICPS LH2 vent and aid check
- L-7H40M – L-7H25M: ICPS LH2 tank topping begin
- L-7H25M – terminal rely: ICPS LH2 replenish
- L-6H45M – L-6H15M: Orion communications system activated (RF to mission
- management)
- L-6H40M – L-6H05M: Core stage LOX topping
- L-6H30M – L-5H45M: ICPS LOX quick fill
- L-6H05M – terminal rely: Core stage LOX replenish
- L-6 hours and counting
- L-5H45M – L-5H30M: ICPS LOX vent and aid check
- L-5H30M – L-5H10M: ICPS LOX topping
- L-5H40M: Stage pad rescue
- L-5H40M: Closeout crew assemble
- L-5H10M – terminal rely: ICPS LOX replenish
- L-5H10M: All levels replenish
- L-5H10M: Begin 1-hour 10-minute inbuilt maintain
- L-4H40M-L-4H25M: Closeout crew to white room
- L-4H30M – L-4H20M: Crew module hatch preps and closure
- L-4H20M – L-3H20M: Counterbalance mechanism hatch sealpress decay
- checks
- L-3H20M – L-2H40M: Crew Module hatch service panel set up/closeouts
- L-2H50M – L2H25M: Launch Abort System (LAS) Hatch closure for flight
- L-1H10M: Launch Director transient – Flight car/TPS Scan outcomes with CICE
- L-1H45M – L-1H40M: Closeout crew departs Launch Complicated 39B
- L-40 minutes and holding
- L-40M: Inbuilt 30-minute countdown maintain begins
- L-25 minutes and holding
- L-25M: Transition staff to Orion to Earth communication loop following closing NTD
- briefing
- L-16M: The launch director polls the staff to make sure they’re “go” for launch
- T-10 minutes and counting
- T-10M: Floor Launch Sequencer (GLS) initiates terminal rely
- T-8M: Crew Entry Arm retract
- T-6M: GLS go for core stage tank pressurization
- T-6M: Orion set to inner energy
- T-5M57S: Core stage LH2 terminate replenish
- T-4M: GLS is go for core stage auxiliary energy unit (APU) begin
- T-4M: Core Stage APU begins
- T-4M: Core stage LOX terminate replenish
- T-3M30S: ICPS LOX terminate replenish
- T-3M10S: GLS is go for purge sequence 4
- T-2M02S: ICPS switches to inner battery energy
- T-2M: Booster switches to inner batter energy
- T-1M30S: Maintain for 3 minutes to confirm core stage certification maintain time
- T-1M30S: Core stage switches to inner energy
- T-1M20S: ICPS enters terminal countdown mode
- T-50S: ICPS LH2 terminate replenish
- T-33S: GLS sends “go for automated launch sequencer” command
- T-33S: GLS Cutoff/Recycle
