BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — NASA is delaying the rollout of its powerful moon rocket and Orion spacecraft that was supposed to happen this month ahead of an uncrewed flight test.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Both the Space Launch System rocket and the spacecraft are stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building and reach 322 feet tall. Officials said teams are not working any major issues on either the rocket or spacecraft but need time to make sure everything is right before rollout.
NASA told Channel 9 it will be mid-March before the moon rocket and Orion spacecraft roll out for a wet dress rehearsal ahead of Artemis I, an uncrewed flight test around the moon.
READ: Space Coast Office of Tourism to launch $1.1M marketing campaign this month
“We just have a lot of things we need to close out,” said Tom Whitmeyer, NASA deputy administrator for Exploration Systems Development. “It’s a big vehicle, a lot of instrumentation that needs to be finished and prepared for the final close-out activity.”
That’s when teams will be ready for the wet dress, the final major test ahead of launch. It will run the rocket and launch teams through operations to load propellant into the fuel tanks and conduct a full launch countdown.
WATCH: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Space Coast following several delays
If all goes well, NASA will roll SLS and Orion back to the VAB for final checks and set a launch date.
The agency is already considering dates in April and May.
READ: He won a trip to space. Then he gave it away to a friend
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2022 Cox Media Group
