Mission Reports

Forgoing another countdown rehearsal, NASA plans to return the first Space Launch System rocket to its assembly hangar at the Kennedy Space Center next week for a hydrogen leak repair and continued preparations for liftoff on the Artemis 1 moon mission.

NASA ran through a countdown rehearsal for the Space Launch System moon rocket Monday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch team loaded more than 750,000 gallons of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the more than 30-story-tall rocket, a key test before a demonstration flight later this year.

Countdown clocks began ticking Saturday for NASA’s fourth attempt to complete a dress-rehearsal countdown and fueling test of its Space Launch System moon rocket, a requirement before the huge booster can be cleared for launch on its long-awaited maiden flight.