NASA Kennedy Teams Complete Water Flow Tests for Artemis II Mission

NASA's Exploration Ground Systems conducts a water flow test with the mobile launcher at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B in Florida on Oct. 24, 2023. It is the third in a series of tests to verify the overpressure protection and sound suppression system is ready for launch of the Artemis II mission. During liftoff, 400,000 gallons of water will rush onto the pad to help protect NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, Orion spacecraft, mobile launcher, and launch pad from any over pressurization and extreme sound produced during ignition and liftoff. Photo Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Teams with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program successfully completed tests of the ignition overpressure protection and sound suppression and launch cooling systems at Launch Pad 39B at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. These systems will protect the mobile launcher umbilicals and other crucial ground systems during liftoff of the Artemis IImission.

When SLS's (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters ignite, the RS-25 engines start up, and the rocket comes to life, there will be a thundering amount of noise, heat, and energy produced at liftoff. To ensure the crew, SLS, the Orion spacecraft and the surrounding ground infrastructure are protected during launch, teams practiced releasing approximately 400,000 gallons of water from large overhead holding tanks onto the mobile launcher and the pad's flame deflector. The water will provide protection from the extreme heat generated by SLS's exhaust and help suppress the sound produced at liftoff.

Recent upgrades to the mobile launcherwere designed to enhance the performance of these systems and assure better launch imagery. Some of the upgrades include:

• New water balancing plates on the mobile launcher and pad piping to allow higher water flow rates
• Redesigned rainbird water nozzles to allow increased water flow rates and improved mobile launcher deck water coverage
• New hydrogen burn-off ignitor and camera water barriers for protection from the increased mobile launcher deck water flow
• Raised camera housings and additional splash shields around the lenses to maximize amount of video obtained during launch
• Adding additional levels on the mobile launcher to protect the emergency egress baskets and pilot line hoist motors

The water flows were conducted as part of a series of integrated ground systems testsintended to confirm that various systems on the mobile launcher and at Launch Pad 39B work as intended, both individually and with each other.

The Artemis II mission builds on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I mission and will demonstrate a broad range of capabilities needed for missions to the Moon and beyond. The Artemis II test flight will be NASA's first mission with crew aboard the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and confirm the spacecraft systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the environment of deep space.

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