NASA has officially announced March 6 as the target date for the historic Artemis II mission, marking a major milestone in the plan to launch four astronauts on a journey around the moon after rocket fueling issues were resolved during a second substantial rehearsal this week.
While preparations could still push back the launch date, the U.S. space agency on Thursday capped a nearly 50-hour rehearsal of the Artemis II launch, fueling the rocket with about 730,000 gallons of propellant, without the fugitive hydrogen emissions that hampered last month’s first rehearsal.
“I felt like last night was a big step in earning our right to fly. So I felt really good and really proud of the team.” said NASA launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson.
Artemis program managers believe the wet dress rehearsal was an extended simulation of the Space Launch System’s launch day countdown and went smoothly. While work continues, the timeline could be even further into NASA’s March launch window. The space agency confirmed that it has successfully fueled the rocket and that the launch will take place after a flight readiness assessment.
The launch will mark the first time in 54 years that humans will travel beyond Earth’s orbit to the moon. The last such trip took place during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
