US EditionArtemis 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.
154 Articles
154 Articles
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
After years of preparation, the first manned moon mission in half a century could be imminent – if NASA solves a critical problem.
Chicago Tribune
Independent EspañolBy MARCIA DUNN CABO CAÑAVERAL, Florida, USA (AP) — NASA again tried to load fuel into its giant lunar rocket on Thursday, after leaks interrupted the initial general test and delayed the first lunar journey of its astronauts in more than half a century. For the second time this month, launch teams pumped more than 2.6 million litres (700,000 gallons) of ultra-cold fuel into the rocket, located on their launch platform. They made the countdown to…
NASA announced to Joi that it completed the general test for launch of its Space Launch System (SLS), which will transport astronomers around the moon for the first time after over 50 years during the Artemis 2 mission.
Two weeks ago, the Artemis II mission, which would have carried four astronauts to the Moon and back, was postponed indefinitely due to a leak in the lunar rocket's fuel tank. NASA appears to have fixed the problem.
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