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Artemis II Moon Rocket Refueled in Practice Countdown Setting Stage for Historic Flight
NASA's successful fueling and countdown rehearsal for Artemis II cleared hydrogen leak issues, advancing the mission for a potential March 6 launch with four astronauts.
- On Feb 19, NASA ran a second wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B, filling the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft with propellant and reaching T-minus 29 seconds twice.
- After a Feb. 2 stop for a liquid hydrogen leak, technicians and engineers replaced seals and a ground support equipment filter, delaying the crewed launch to early March.
- Slow chilldown then fast fill loaded the core stage and upper stage with more than 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen chilled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit and liquid oxygen chilled to minus 297 degrees.
- Mission managers will now review rehearsal data and, if favorable, NASA says liftoff with the Artemis II four-person crew on a 10-day lunar flyby could come as early as March 6, 2026, with a news briefing at 11 a.m. ET on Friday.
- Artemis II will be the program's first crewed test flight, sending four astronauts on a 10-day lunar flyby reaching 4,600 miles beyond the far side to prepare Artemis 3's lunar landing.
159 Articles
159 Articles
Artemis II update: NASA targets March 6 for launch of historic moon mission following successful 'wet dress rehearsal'
NASA is targeting March 6 as the earliest possible launch date for the Artemis II mission to the moon following a successful 'wet dress rehearsal' on Thursday.
NASA eyes March 6 to send four astronauts to moon under Artemis 2 lunar launch
NASA is targeting March 6 for the Artemis 2 mission, aiming to send four astronauts on the first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years. A successful 50-hour launch rehearsal, free of hydrogen leaks, has positioned the agency to meet this early March date, though further pad work and a dress rehearsal are still required.
NASA completes second Artemis 2 fueling test
NASA completed a second wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis 2 mission on Feb. 19 without any of the hydrogen leaks seen in the first such test earlier this month. The post NASA completes second Artemis 2 fueling test appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA is taking an important step with a successful general test of its SLS rocket, paving the way for a manned flight around the Moon after more than 50 years NASA announced on Thursday that it had completed the
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