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Artemis

  • Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal Update: Countdown Progressing

    The Moon is seen shining over the SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft, atop the mobile launcher on February 1, 2026. The moon is light orange on the right side, with the rocket on the left side.

    NASA continues to press ahead through the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal countdown – a fueling test of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. Early this morning, at approximately 3 a.m. EST, teams powered up the rocket’s core stage, which will be loaded with more than 700,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen during […]

  • Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Countdown Begins

    Lights illuminate NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 01/18/2026. In the coming days, engineers will prepare for the wet dress rehearsal, a two-day test that simulates launch day. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026.

    The countdown for the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal is underway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The countdown clock began at 6:50 p.m. EST Tuesday, or L-49 hours, 40 minutes before the opening of a simulated launch window at 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 19. The test is expected to go until approximately 12:30 […]

  • NASA Eyes Next Wet Dress Rehearsal for Artemis II

    NASA is targeting Thursday, Feb. 19, as the tanking day for the second wet dress rehearsal ahead of the agency’s Artemis II test flight. Over the weekend, teams replaced a filter in ground support equipment that was suspected of reducing the flow of liquid hydrogen during a Feb. 12 partial fueling test. The test provided […]

  • Following Confidence Test, NASA Continues Artemis II Data Review

    As part of robustly testing the vehicle prior to flight, NASA engineers are reviewing data after a confidence test Feb. 12, in which operators partially filled the SLS (Space Launch System) core stage liquid hydrogen tank to assess newly replaced seals in an area used to fill the rocket with propellant. During the test, teams […]

  • NASA Conducts Repairs, Analysis Ahead of Next Artemis II Fueling Test

    Since concluding a wet dress rehearsal Feb. 3 ahead of Artemis II, technicians have replaced two seals in an area where operators saw higher than allowable hydrogen gas concentrations during the test. Engineers are analyzing the removed seals and developing plans to address all issues ahead of the next rehearsal. Once the SLS (Space Launch […]

  • NASA Conducts Artemis II Fuel Test, Eyes March for Launch Opportunity  

    A full Moon is seen shining over NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft, atop the mobile launcher in the early hours of February 1, 2026. The rocket is currently at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as teams are preparing for a wet dress rehearsal to practice timelines and procedures for the launch of Artemis II.

    NASA concluded a wet dress rehearsal for the agency’s Artemis II test flight early Tuesday morning, successfully loading cryogenic propellant into the SLS (Space Launch System) tanks, sending a team out to the launch pad to closeout Orion, and safely draining the rocket. The wet dress rehearsal was a prelaunch test to fuel the rocket, designed to […]

  • Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Test Terminated at T-5:15

    The Artemis II wet dress rehearsal countdown was terminated at the T-5:15 minute mark due to a liquid hydrogen leak at the interface of the tail service mast umbilical, which had experienced high concentrations of liquid hydrogen earlier in the countdown, as well. The launch control team is working to ensure the SLS (Space Launch […]

  • Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Entering Terminal Count at T-10 Minutes

    Lights illuminate NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 01/18/2026. In the coming days, engineers will prepare for the wet dress rehearsal, a two-day test that simulates launch day. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026.

    NASA teams officially entered the final 10 minutes of today’s Artemis II wet dress rehearsal countdown known as terminal count after Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA’s Artemis launch director, gave the “go” to proceed.   During terminal count, automated systems take control of countdown operations, final checks of flight computers, engine bleed systems, and ground support equipment occur, and the rocket […]

  • Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Closeout Crew Departs Launch Complex 39B

    Lights illuminate NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 01/17/2026. In the coming days, engineers will prepare for the wet dress rehearsal, a two-day test that simulates launch day. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026.

    NASA’s Artemis II closeout crew has completed its critical tasks and departed NASA Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39B during the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal.   The departure of the closeout crew marks the transition to the final countdown phase, ensuring the launch pad is clear and safe for simulated liftoff procedures. Although the Artemis II astronauts did not […]