NASA suspended the last major test of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket after pressurization issues prevented technicians from safely loading propellants into the rocket.
The test known as a wet dress rehearsal — has been postponed until Monday, April 4th at the earliest, NASA announced in a post on the Artemis I live blog.
Teams have decided to scrub banking operations for the wet dress rehearsal due to loss of ability to pressurize the mobile launcher, NASA explained.
Some fans on the mobile launcher — the platform that provides support for the rocket up until launch — were unable to maintain positive pressure, which is crucial in warding off hazardous gases.
As a result, NASA technician couldn't “safely proceed” with the fuel-loading process.
This type of dress rehearsal gets its “wet” label since it’s essentially a run-through of all the procedures NASA will have to carry out when the first actual launch of SLS takes place.