US Completes Orion Spacecraft Stacking On Mega Moon Rocket For Artemis Mission - NASA

US Artemis engineers have completed the stacking process of putting the Orion spacecraft on top of the Space Launch System (SLS) giant rocket at Kennedy Space Center for the Artemis I uncrewed mission around the Moon, NASA announced on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2021) US Artemis engineers have completed the stacking process of putting the Orion spacecraft on top of the Space Launch System (SLS) giant rocket at Kennedy Space Center for the Artemis I uncrewed mission around the Moon, NASA announced on Friday.

"NASA has completed stacking of the agency's mega-Moon rocket and spacecraft that will launch the next generation of deep space operations, including Artemis missions on and around the Moon," the US space agency said in a press release.

Engineers and technicians successfully secured the Orion spacecraft atop the fully assembled SLS just before midnight on Thursday in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the space center, the release continued.

"Next up, NASA's Exploration Ground Systems teams will conduct integrated tests of Orion and SLS along with the ground equipment, prior to rolling the rocket and spacecraft to the launch pad for a final test, known as the wet dress rehearsal," the release said.

This final test will run the rocket and launch team through operations to load propellant into the fuel tanks and conduct a full launch countdown. Following a successful rehearsal, NASA will roll the stack back into the Vehicle Assembly Building for final checks and set a target date for launch, the release added.