The wet dress rehearsal for NASA's Artemis 1 mission will not occur until this weekend at the earliest, allowing a SpaceX rocket to deliver the completely private Axiom space Ax-1 crew to the International Space Station.
In this handout provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Friday, March 18, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad for the first time at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA's Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch.
Artemis I Rocket Wet Dress Rehearsal Delayed For The 3rd Time
Two prior efforts to start the so-called Artemis I Rocket "wet dress rehearsal" last week were canceled due to technical issues. The first was due to a fan issue with the rocket's mobile launcher and the second was due to a jammed valve on the pad's ground equipment.
On Thursday, NASA announced the discovery of yet another problem, this time with the upper stage engine's helium purge pressure. Engineers were able to restore regular helium purging after a troubleshooting procedure. However, they're still looking into what caused the problem.
The massive Space Launch System's dress rehearsal had been slated for Friday at launchpad 39B at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Still, due to a launch delay, it was now scheduled for the same time as SpaceX's lift-off from pad 39A - a mile away.
The test began last Friday and was supposed to finish late Sunday. Still, Artemis mission manager Mike Sarafin said in a Daily Mail report that NASA workers ran into "a whole slew of technical issues" on Saturday and unfavorable weather.
The rocket test that will return humans to the moon is now planned to resume once the SpaceX flight has taken off.
Managers declined to specify a date for the next SLS fueling attempt. They would not have to start the test from scratch.
While waiting for the commercial launch, the 322-foot (98-meter) SLS rocket will remain on its launch pad and stays on the pad during the rehearsal, which simulates all parts of a launch but does not actually launch the rocket.
SpaceX to Deploy Private Crew to the International Space Station for Axiom Space
SpaceX will send another crew of four to the International Space Station from Florida, but unlike most of the company's passenger trips, this one will not feature any existing NASA astronauts.
All four members of the crew are civilians working for Axiom Space, a commercial aerospace corporation. Their voyage will be the first time an entirely private crew has visited the International Space Station.
According to Digital Trends, three of the four pilots have paid $55 million apiece for their seats on SpaceX's Crew Dragon crew spacecraft.
Mark Pathy, a Canadian investor, Larry Connor, an American real estate businessman, and Eytan Stibbe, a former Israeli Air Force pilot, make up the trio of inexperienced spacefarers.
The mission's commander is Michael López-Alegra, a former NASA astronaut who has flown four trips to orbit and currently works as a vice president of Axiom.
The 10-day mission, organized by Texas-based Axiom Space and employing SpaceX hardware, will launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at lunchtime on Friday, April 8.
On Friday, April 8, the Ax-1 mission will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:17 a.m. ET.
You may watch the events unfold by using the video player below this page or by going to SpaceX's live stream, which will have the same footage. The show will begin at about 7:45 a.m. ET.
Due to severe weather or last-minute technological issues, changes to the program may be necessary. For the most up-to-date information, follow NASA on Twitter.
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