CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA teams are carrying out a critical wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission today, though the test was partially interrupted twice by a liquid hydrogen leak.
The issue forced teams to halt hydrogen flow into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket after concentrations exceeded allowable limits. Liquid oxygen loading, however, continued as planned during the rehearsal.
The wet dress rehearsal simulates launch day operations and is the final major milestone before Artemis II lifts off from Kennedy Space Center on a 10-day, crewed mission around the Moon.
Space analyst Ken Kremer of Space Up Close noted that hydrogen’s small molecular size makes it especially prone to leaks, a challenge dating back to the Space Shuttle program.
Before the rollout of the SLS rocket, Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said the countdown was planned to stop at T-minus 29 seconds.
After the wet dress is complete, NASA will review the data to determine whether SLS is ready to launch with the Orion spacecraft and its crew, or whether adjustments are needed.
That could require a rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building. NASA is expected to provide a preliminary update by
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