As part of continued troubleshooting and seal replacement validation efforts, teams at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida took the SLS rocket through a Core Stage and Interim Cryogenic Propulsion System (ICPS) fueling test on Wednesday, Sept. 21. NASA officials hoped the test would reveal no leaks of the liquid hydrogen (LH2) system, which has so far plagued the agency in all fueling operations where the commodity was loaded onto SLS at the pad.
That did not pan out, but the test was completed successfully.
With the fueling test complete, should the Eastern Range subsequently approve a waiver for the rocket’s Flight Termination System batteries, NASA might be able to attempt a launch of SLS on the Artemis I mission as soon as Sept. 27.