Teams have stopped the flow of liquid hydrogen through the tail service mast umbilical interface into the core stage after leak concentrations exceeded allowable limits. Stopping the flow allows engineers to perform troubleshooting procedures that were developed after Artemis I. Liquid oxygen continues to flow into the core stage, and liquid hydrogen continues to flow […]
As teams continue to fuel the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, teams began propellant loading operations for the rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), or upper stage. The launch control team is filling the ICPS with liquid hydrogen. The core stage liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks, meanwhile, are currently in fast fill. A 24/7 live stream of […]
Teams began chilling down the liquid hydrogen lines for the interim cryogenic propulsion stage of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. This critical step cools the propellant lines ahead of loading super-cold liquid hydrogen, chilled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit, into the SLS’s upper stage tank. The chilldown process ensures the hardware is properly conditioned for cryogenic temperatures, reducing thermal shock and […]
NASA teams have transitioned to fast fill of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage with super-cold liquid hydrogen, chilled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit and liquid oxygen chilled to minus 297 degrees. Fast fill rapidly loads hundreds of thousands of gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into their core stage tanks. During this process, […]
Following successful chilldown of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen lines, teams started slowly filling the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage with super-cold liquid hydrogen, chilled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit, then with liquid oxygen chilled to minus 297 degrees. This marks the official start of propellant loading for the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal. Slow fill is a deliberate process that allows the tanks and associated […]
Teams have started chilling down the liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) lines for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage. This critical step cools the propellant lines ahead of loading super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the core stage tanks, which will eventually hold hundreds of thousands of gallons of liquid hydrogen chilled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit and liquid […]
At approximately 11:25 a.m. EST, the Artemis launch director, in coordination with the mission management team chair, gave the “go” to begin loading cryogenic liquid propellant into the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for wet dress rehearsal. While teams continue to monitor cold weather that would impact launch day, they are not tracking weather constraints to Monday’s tanking operations. NASA teams have completed final preparations and closeouts of the umbilicals […]
NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) began its two-year primary science mission on Feb. 1 to explore and map the boundaries of our heliosphere — the protective bubble created by the solar wind that encapsulates our solar system. The mission, which launched on Sept. 24, 2025, relies on 10 scientific instruments to chart a […]
The Artemis II wet dress rehearsal countdown continues as teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida began configuring the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft with gaseous nitrogen, an important step to mitigate fire hazards, protect spacecraft systems, and ensure mission safety. Technicians are currently replacing the ambient air in the SLS and Orion crew module with gaseous nitrogen, which is an inert […]
