Overview
- The SLS rocket and Orion will be rolled ~6.4 km back to the Vehicle Assembly Building this week for access to the upper stage.
- A helium-flow interruption to the upper stage—used to purge lines and pressurize cryogenic tanks—was detected after the Feb. 19 wet dress rehearsal.
- Operators are using a backup method to keep the stage and rocket in a safe configuration while engineers review data.
- Teams are evaluating potential causes that include a ground-to-vehicle filter, an upper-stage valve, or a quick-disconnect umbilical, all serviceable only in the VAB.
- Artemis II will carry Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on a roughly 10-day lunar flyby once the vehicle is cleared for flight.