[PHOTO] The Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are positioned vertically on Mobile Launcher 1 at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as of Tuesday, 10 February 2026. This upcoming test flight will carry NASA astronauts Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, on a mission around the Moon before returning to Earth. Photo courtesy of NASA/Ben Smegelsky.
NASA successfully completed a critical wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission on Thursday, 19 February 2026 (Friday, 20 February 2026 in Manila, Philippines) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, demonstrating the launch countdown and fueling procedures for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Engineers loaded more than 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the rocket, tested terminal countdown operations, and verified the Orion spacecraft’s hatch closure procedures in preparation for the first crewed mission of the Artemis program.
The rehearsal included two runs of terminal count, the final stage of the launch countdown, and allowed the Artemis II crew to observe parts of the test from the Launch Control Center. Teams closely monitored liquid hydrogen fueling, a challenging procedure in prior tests, confirming that hydrogen gas concentrations remained within safe limits thanks to new sealing mechanisms installed on the rocket’s fuel interface.
During early fueling, NASA experienced a temporary loss of ground communications in the Launch Control Center. Operators quickly switched to backup systems to safely continue propellant loading. The equipment causing the issue was later isolated, and normal communications were restored.
The Artemis II crew is scheduled to enter quarantine in Houston late Friday, 21 February 2026, to limit exposure to illness and maintain flexibility for a March launch window, even as engineers analyze data from the wet dress rehearsal. A continuous live stream of the rocket at the pad remains active.
Over the coming days, technicians will install temporary access platforms on the mobile launcher, allowing safe servicing of the upper segments of the SLS solid rocket boosters and the core stage intertank. This setup, developed based on lessons from Artemis I, enables end-to-end testing of the flight termination system directly at the launch pad without rolling the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The closeout crew will also rehearse hatch closure operations again, ensuring full readiness for launch procedures.
The wet dress rehearsal included critical milestones such as chilldown of the rocket’s liquid hydrogen and oxygen lines, slow fill and fast fill of cryogenic propellants, and transitioning tanks to replenish mode to maintain proper pressure and levels. Terminal count simulations included holding the clock at T-1 minute and 30 seconds, pausing at T-33 seconds, and recycling to T-10 minutes to rehearse real-world scenarios including potential launch scrubs.
The rehearsal concluded successfully at 1016H PhST, stopping at T-29 seconds in the countdown as planned. NASA’s Artemis II mission represents a major step in the agency’s return to the Moon, paving the way for future crewed lunar landings and eventual missions to Mars.