NASA has set a date for a major readiness test for itself Artemis II Mission to the Moon. During this “wet dress rehearsal,” the agency will attempt to pump liquid fuel into a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. and simulate the countdown to liftoff February 19th at 8:30 PM EST.
important for testing Artemis II proceed to launch; The first attempt on February 2 exposed problems with both the SLS and the Orion capsule, which is designed to home Artemis IIA crew of four on a trip around the Moon and back. Liquid hydrogen fuel leaked from the rocket and a valve in the capsule malfunctioned. Notably, similar fuel leaks had plagued the mission’s predecessor, Artemis I, delaying its launch by months.
Announcing the new wet dress rehearsal date, NASA said engineers had replaced a filter in the ground support equipment, which they believe reduced the flow of liquid hydrogen into the rocket and potentially resolved the leak problem.
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Unlike Artemis I, which was without a crew, Artemis II It will carry four people – NASA’s Reed Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen – on a record-breaking flyby around the Moon. * For 10 days, crew members will observe a less-studied far side of the Moon and conduct other experiments aboard the ship before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego.
*Editor’s note (2/17/26): This sentence was edited after posting to correct details of Artemis II’s planned lunar flight.
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