The second step towards a crewed mission to the Moon just cleared a massive hurdle at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center. On February 20, Nasa successfully completed the wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission, a critical test that proves the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft are ready for their historic journey.
While the four-member crew was not on board for this rehearsal, the mission teams treated the countdown exactly like the real thing. This 72-hour operation involved loading over 7,00,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the massive orange core stage and the upper stage of the rocket.
WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE ARTEMIS II WET TEST?
The day started early in Florida when the launch director gave the green light to fill the rocket with fuel. Even with a small radio problem and a minor power glitch, the team kept going.
They ran through the final 10 minutes of the countdown twice to make sure everything worked perfectly. To be extra safe, the team stopped the clock just 33 seconds before the fake launch.
They then reset the timer back to 10 minutes. This helps the engineers practise what to do if a real launch is delayed by bad weather or a technical fault, making sure they can try again safely.
WHY IS THE ARTEMIS TEST VITAL FOR LUNAR EXPLORATION?
This rehearsal is the closest Nasa can get to a real launch without actually lighting the engines. It validates that the ground systems, the closeout crew, which is a group of technicians and engineers, and the automated software can work in perfect harmony.
With the wet dress rehearsal now finished at 8:46 am IST on February 20, the path is clear for the actual mission.
The launch window for Artemis II is open till April 2026. It will carry Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on a high-speed loop around the Moon.
This 10-day mission will be the first time humans have left Earth’s orbit since 1972.
