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NASA Begins Loading Rocket with Propellant in Crucial Test Ahead of Historic Moon Mission Launch

NASA loaded over 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant during a final test to verify the Space Launch System rocket's readiness for Artemis II lunar mission.

  • On Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, NASA's launch team began fueling the Artemis II rocket at Kennedy Space Center with over 700,000 gallons of super-cold propellants.
  • Launch managers say weather and timing pressures, including Arctic cold, delayed rehearsals and shortened the February window, with a Feb. 11 deadline in mind.
  • A simulated countdown set for 9 p.m. ET will involve fueling the rocket, charging Orion's flight batteries, and pausing before ignition, as Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said.
  • A successful fueling demo would keep the mission on track for an early-February launch, with officials saying the earliest possible liftoff is Feb. 8.
  • Artemis II's four astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — will fly a nearly 10-day mission about 750,000 miles from Earth without landing, according to NASA.
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The Advocate broke the news in Baton Rouge, United States on Sunday, February 1, 2026.
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