NASA’s Artemis 1 Wet Dress Rehearsal Starts Today

NASA is beginning a critical test of the SLS rocket with the Orion crew capsule sitting on its top. The rocket and capsule will carry astronauts on the Artemis 1 moon mission. A critical test for the rocket is beginning today called the wet dress rehearsal.

The test is currently scheduled to begin this afternoon in Florida and will last three days. The test will take the rocket through most prelaunch procedures and ensure that various systems aboard the rocket act as expected.

Essentially, the test will see the rock go through each stage prior to launch, with the only omission being an actual launch. The official starting time for the wet dress rehearsal is 5 PM EDT today. The test begins with a “call to stations,” which begins a 45-hour countdown clock for the test.

The bulk of the action will occur on Sunday, April 3, when more than 700,000 gallons of propellant will be pumped into the rocket tanks. All procedures for launch will continue down to 33 seconds before an actual launch, when it will be terminated.