NASA will hold a media teleconference at 4 p.m. EDT today, Monday, April 11, to provide an update on the final major test of the agencys mega Moon rocket and spacecraft on the launch pad at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the uncrewed Artemis I lunar mission.
The teleconference will stream live on the agencys website.
NASA is planning to proceed with a modified wet dress rehearsal test focused on using the ground systems at Kennedy to load propellant into the Space Launch System (SLS) rockets core stage tanks, with minimal propellant operations on theupper stage. In addition to loading propellant, the wet dress rehearsal is an opportunity to refine countdown procedures and validate critical models and software interfaces. The team achieved many of the wet dress rehearsal objectives during the two prior tests, and the modified test will enable engineers to achieve the remaining test objectives critical to launch success.
Teleconference participants include:
- Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for common exploration systems development, NASA Headquarters in Washington
- Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director, NASA Exploration Ground Systems program, Kennedy
- John Blevins, SLS chief engineer, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama
- Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters
