A dress rehearsal for the SLS and a SpaceX rocket launch were scheduled for Friday at the same time in Cape Canaveral, Florida. One from Platform 39B and the other from Platform 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
Testing of the lunar rocket will begin shortly after the launch of SpaceX, which will carry three businessmen and a former astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), while the 98-meter SLS rocket will remain on its platform.
Before its departure to the Moon, scheduled for the end of this year, all steps of its launch, from filling the tanks to the countdown, which will stop just before the engines start, must be rehearsed.
The test that began last Friday was scheduled to end on Sunday, but NASA teams faced a “variety of technical challenges” and weather issues on Saturday, explained Mike Sarafin, NASA’s Artemis program manager for returning to the moon.
“These are not big problems,” Sarraf added. “We didn’t find any major flaws or design issues.”
Artemis 1, whose development is years behind schedule, will be the first mission for the SLS.
