NASA has refueled its giant moon rocket and is all set to officially start the countdown for Artemis II on Thursday during a wet dress rehearsal at the agency’s Space Center in Florida.
The company deployed engineers who loaded more than 700,000 liters of liquid propellant into the rocket, while a crew member went to the launch pad. The Artemis II crew also observed part of the test from the Launch Control Center at NASA Kennedy.
Teams are closely monitoring liquid hydrogen fueling activities to analyze them under challenging conditions. This test allows engineers to evaluate new seals installed in an interface used to fuel the rocket. A NASA news conference is scheduled for this Friday at 11 a.m. EST on the agency’s YouTube channel to discuss the wet dress rehearsal.
While engineers review test data, the Artemis II crew will quarantine in Houston on February 20. While a final launch date has not yet been announced, the start of this quarantine now limits crew exposure to illness and maintains flexibility for a possible March launch.
NASA is working efficiently to complete the safety system resting on the launch pad, rather than returning to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA Kennedy for further repairs.
The Artemis II mission is crucial and opens avenues for new U.S. manned missions to the lunar surface as preparations to send the first astronauts to Mars intensify.
