The Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US, is witnessing increased activity as Nasa began a second wet dress rehearsal for its Artemis II mission.
The countdown clock, which started at 5:20 am IST on February 18, is now in its tanking phase, loading more than 70,00,00 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the SLS rocket’s core stage and interim cryogenic propulsion stage.
Teams are now counting down to the opening of a simulated launch window at 7:00 am IST on February 20, with the wet dress rehearsal test expected to run for up to four hours.
This full-scale simulation of launch day will run through a complete countdown sequence. The ongoing dress rehearsal verifies every system from ground support equipment to launch control coordination.
WHY IS THERE A SECOND REHEARSAL?
The first wet dress rehearsal on February 3 ended early due to a hydrogen leak at T-5 minutes 15 seconds.
A partial fuelling test on February 12 revealed a liquid hydrogen flow restriction caused by a filter in ground support equipment.
Engineers replaced the filter over the weekend.
Nasa is now putting the Artemis-II Moon rocket to test after fixing leaks and fuel tanks again, ensuring no repeat issues before committing to a crewed flight.
WHAT IS THE TIMELINE FOR LAUNCH OF ARTEMIS II?
Following data review from this rehearsal, Nasa is targeting March 2026 for the actual launch, the earliest opportunity in the revised schedule.
Artemis II will send four astronauts: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch from Nasa and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from CSA, on a 10-day lunar flyby.
It will be the first crewed mission beyond low-Earth orbit in over 50 years.
The mission will test Orion’s deep-space life support, communications and navigation systems far from Earth.
WHY IS ARTEMIS II REHEARSAL IMPORTANT?
A successful rehearsal will clear the final major ground hurdle before the historic crewed flight, and will build directly on the uncrewed Artemis I success in 2022.
It will keep Nasa on track for Artemis III’s lunar landing and long-term Moon-to-Mars ambitions.
With the rocket already stacked at Launch Pad 39B, engineers and the global Artemis team are one step closer to returning humans to the Moon, taking the first step towards a future where Moon landings become a frequent journey.
At 9:30 pm IST on February 20, Nasa leadership will hold a news conference to share details on the outcome of the rehearsal, including any key data from the propellant loading, countdown sequence, and system performance.
