update: NASA is targeting early Wednesday, Feb. 25, to roll the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket off the launch pad and back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Following the 4-mile, 12 hour trek, teams will immediately begin work to install platforms to access the area of the helium flow issue.
Last week's wet dress rehersal demonstrated that hydrogen leaks discovered in previous attempts to fuel the SLS rocket had been resolved.
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"I'm happy to report those interfaces were rock solid ... really no leakage to speak of. The work the team did paid off" explained launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson
The exercise also completed testing of closeout procedures that prepare the capsule for launch and carried the countdown to just seconds before liftoff, as planned. The team was also able to test countdown recycle procedures, which provides extra time to resolve minor issues on launch day and help avoid scrubbing the attempt.
Teams were initially targeting a March 6 launch of the mission that will take astronauts, including North Carolina's Christina Koch, back to the Moon.
But continued monitoring of systems discovered a disruption of the flow of helium used to purge engines in the rocket's upper stage according to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
Troubleshooting requires access to a section of the rocket that cannot be reached safely while it remains on the launch pad, making it necessary to roll the vehicle back to the massive Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).
NASA is working on a date at the busy spaceport to begin the half-day long, 4 mile journey back to the VAB.
The VAB is equipped with movable platforms that surround the 30-story rocket. Technicians call these platforms "flips" as they are brought into place around areas of the rocket which are not safely accessible on the launch pad.
This puts launch windows from March 6 through March 9, with another opportunity on March 11, out of reach. The next launch windows available are April 1, April 3-6 and April 30.
For now, the astronauts, who were released from quarantine on February 21, remain in Houston. NASA plans a media event this week to share additional information about the roll-back and upper stage problem.
