Mobile Launcher Gets Wet in Big Moon Mission Test
The mobile launcher for NASA’s upcoming Artemis 2 mission, scheduled to send astronauts on a journey around the moon in 2024, recently underwent a crucial “water flow test.” This test, which marked the third in a series at the Kennedy Space Center, aimed to ensure that the launcher’s overpressure protection and sound suppression system is fully prepared for launch. Spraying 400,000 gallons of water onto the launch pad during liftoff will safeguard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, mobile launcher, and launch pad from over pressurization and excessive sound produced during ignition and liftoff.
The mobile launcher, which will support the SLS rocket for Artemis 2, is currently undergoing a six-month testing period. This round-the-moon mission will mark the first lunar journey with astronauts in over fifty years and will include NASA commander Reid Wiseman, NASA pilot Victor Glover (the first person of color to leave Earth orbit), NASA mission specialist Christina Koch (the first woman to do so), and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen (the first non-American).
Following the successful uncrewed Artemis 1 launch in 2022, NASA enhanced the “rainbirds” – five large-scale water nozzles that provide water for the launch pad supporting Artemis 2. By modifying the rainbird heads to direct the water precisely, NASA ensures that the mobile launcher is effectively shielded from the rocket blast.
The core stage for the SLS rocket is also being assembled, while the booster parts arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in early October. As for the Orion spacecraft, the crew and service modules were recently joined together at NASA, with power and altitude chamber testing being the next steps.
Astronaut training for Artemis 2 continues at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The astronauts are about to undergo camera training for geological examinations and other Earth orbit operation preparations. Medical training and a simulated recovery are also on the agenda. In recent weeks, the crew completed significant training milestones, including a liftoff dress rehearsal and geology training.
Artemis 2 is part of NASA’s larger Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon. Artemis 3, tentatively scheduled for 2025 or 2026, will see astronauts finally step foot on the lunar surface, pending the readiness of SpaceX’s Starship landing system and spacesuits from Axiom Space, as well as the success of Artemis 2.
