Angeline Leishman
Jacobs is set to begin final pre-launch tests of the Space Launch System, which will send the first NASA Artemis mission to the lunar orbit, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The company said Monday its team will work with the space agency’s Exploration Ground Systems personnel to perform a wet dress rehearsal of the 322-foot super heavy-lift vehicle while stacked at KSC’s Launch Pad 39B.
During the activity, the contractor and EGS will fill the SLS core stage with cryogenic fuel and conduct a full launch countdown to measure the rocket’s performance through sensors, instruments and flight hardware systems.
“This is the final test of the systems before we launch Artemis I where the uncrewed Orion capsule will travel further from Earth than any human spacecraft has ever gone,” said Steve Arnette, executive vice president and critical mission solutions president at Jacobs.
Following the evaluation, SLS will be rolled back to KSC’s Vehicle Assembly Building ahead of the Artemis I launch.
Jacobs, a company providing NASA with full life cycle aerospace services, is currently the prime contractor for the space agency’s EGS program and test and operations support efforts at KSC.
