ARTEMIS I ROLLS BACK TO LAUNCH PAD FOR WDR, June 6, 2022, KSC, 12:00 am ET

NASA will roll the Artemis I rocket and Orion spacecraft back to the launch pad on June 6, 2022 to resume the Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) test needed before launch. Three attempts in April had to be halted before the test was completed and NASA decided to take the “stack” back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for fixes while Air Liquide, a contractor that provides gaseous nitrogen (GN2) needed to purge propellant lines, upgraded its system.

NASA plans to begin the roll back at midnight. It takes 8-12 hours to make the 4-mile trip.

If all goes well rolling back to the pad, the first date that the final part of the WDR can take place is June 19, but that could change do to weather, such as thunderstorms.  That final part involves loading the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s first stage (core stage) and upper stage (Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage) with cryogenic fuels (liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen) and practicing countdowns to as close as 9.3 second before launch.

The date for the launch itself will not be set until after the WDR is completed.  NASA is currently targeting August for the launch.