NASA Artemis 1 Mission: SLS rocket, Orion Spacecraft to go through final test before heading to Moon

According to NASA, Artemis I, is the first complex mission that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars. After almost an 11-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission has arrived at the launch pad.  This uncrewed mission is the first flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft together.

What Is The Final Test?

The scientists, engineers and technicians will now work towards preparing the rocket for its final test which is known as the wet dress rehearsal. It is a two day test which will demonstrate the team’s ability to load propellants into the rocket and conduct a full launch countdown, among other things. After the rehearsal, engineers will take the rocket and spacecraft back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for final checks before launch.

Tom Whitmeyer, an administrator at the agency, in a press statement said that they will use the integrated systems to practice the launch countdown and load the rocket with the propellants that it needs to send Orion on a lunar journey in preparation for launch.

What happens after the Test?

After the wet dress rehearsal, the integrated rocket and spacecraft will be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly building by the technicians who will then reportedly charge system batteries, and run final checks.

NASA had announced in November that it would aim to achieve its first human lunar landing of Artemis as early as 2025, preceded by an a crewed Artemis flight around the moon and back in 2024, as per Reuters report. The report further suggested that both of those missions will be flown to space by the SLS.