CAPE CANAVERAL: NASA has completed a key fueling and countdown rehearsal for Artemis II, running the Space Launch System moon rocket through a full wet dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center and ending the simulated launch sequence at T-minus 29 seconds. The test, completed late Feb. 19, marked a major step in preparations for the first crewed flight of the SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft. NASA is targeting a launch no earlier than March 6, pending final pad work, data reviews and readiness checks.
During the rehearsal, teams loaded about 730,000 gallons of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the rocket’s tanks and practiced launch-day procedures from the firing room through terminal countdown. Ground crews carried out spacecraft closeouts at the pad, including closing the Orion crew module hatch and simulating astronaut seat ingress procedures, then cleared the launch platform ahead of the final count. NASA also worked through a communications issue by switching to backup channels during the test before restoring nominal links.
The wet dress rehearsal followed an earlier attempt on Feb. 3 that did not reach a full terminal countdown after a liquid hydrogen leak interrupted operations. NASA said engineers replaced seals associated with the hydrogen system and used the second rehearsal to confirm improved performance. During the Feb. 19 run, NASA monitored hydrogen conditions throughout tanking and terminal operations and reported that levels stayed within limits, with no repeat of the earlier leak that had prompted additional troubleshooting.
Countdown Rehearsal Clears Milestone
Artemis II is planned as a roughly 10-day crewed lunar flyby mission that will send four astronauts beyond low Earth orbit for the first time since the Apollo era. The crew consists of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Hammock Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Launched from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Orion will fly a free-return trajectory around the Moon before heading back to Earth, demonstrating crew operations and spacecraft performance in deep space.
Wet dress rehearsals are designed to exercise the full launch team and ground systems by practicing the timelines and procedures required for launch without liftoff. NASA said the Artemis II rehearsal included tanking operations, terminal countdown runs and post-test safing and drain procedures, providing a high-fidelity simulation for launch day. The agency said it will review data from the nearly 50-hour campaign while completing remaining work at the pad, including required flight termination system activities and a Flight Readiness Review.
Launch Target Set For March 6
NASA has set its earliest launch opportunity for Friday, March 6, and said the date depends on completion of pad work and analysis of the rehearsal results. The four astronauts entered quarantine on Feb. 20 in Houston, a standard step intended to reduce the risk of illness ahead of flight. NASA has said the crew is expected to travel to Florida about five days before launch for final preparations, including fit checks, briefings and integrated launch-day practice.
Artemis II follows the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, which sent Orion around the Moon and back to validate the spacecraft’s systems for future crewed flights. NASA has said Artemis II will further verify Orion’s life support, navigation and communications capabilities while training the mission team to operate together in deep space and return the crew safely for ocean recovery after reentry. The agency has described the wet dress rehearsal as a major prelaunch milestone as it moves toward the first crewed SLS and Orion flight. – By Content Syndication Services.