US EditionArtemis II Moon Rocket Refueled in Practice Countdown Setting Stage for Historic Flight
- During Thursday's wet dress rehearsal, engineers started slow filling the Space Launch System rocket’s core stage, marking the official start of propellant loading at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
- After the initial Feb. 2 rehearsal discovered a liquid hydrogen leak, NASA engineers replaced two rocket seals and swapped a clogged ground support filter following a Feb. 12 partial fueling test.
- Ground controllers monitored temperature and leak indicators while transitioning from slow-fill to fast-fill of more than 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen at −423°F and liquid oxygen at −297°F.
- By early afternoon, NASA reported no new leaks as of 1 p.m. ET and teams reached a replenish milestone without exceeding the safety limit observed in first rehearsal; March 6, 2026 remains the earliest launch target.
- Successful fueling would bolster efforts toward Artemis II's 10-day lunar flyby, which will take the Orion capsule about 4,700 miles beyond the moon, setting the stage for Artemis 3.
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65 Articles
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.
NASA has completed the final check rehearsal for its first manned lunar mission in 54 years. The launch of Artemis II, carrying four astronauts, is expected to begin on March 6th.
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