NASA says the second wet dress rehearsal of the upcoming Artemis II mission has concluded with engineers having successfully fuelled the Space Launch System.
The wet dress rehearsal concluded on Thursday 19 February, and was the second rehearsal of the mission that will take humans back to the Moon.
More on Artemis II
A previous Artemis II wet dress rehearsal that concluded on 2 February found a leak in the system that provides liquid hydrogen fuel for propulsion of the Space Launch System (the rocket).
But it seems NASA engineers have completed the second wet dress rehearsal with the problem fixed, and the Artemis II crew are preparing to enter a 14-day quarantine ahead of the first potential launch on 6 March.
Prep for a mission to the Moon
NASA's Artemis II mission will see astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen launch to the Moon and back.
The 10-day mission will take the crew to the Moon, further into space than any human has ever travelled before, then slingshot around the Moon and return to Earth.
Part of preparations for the launch of Artemis II include a wet dress rehearsal, where the ground team run through all the steps to launch, but without the astronauts onboard.
The first wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II concluded on 2 February 2026.
Engineers discovered issues with the system providing fuel to the Space Launch System, but also problems with a valve involved in the pressurisation of the Orion crew module hatch, which is where the astronauts will be situated during their journey around the Moon.
The second dress rehearsal concluded on 19 February 2026.
NASA says the ground team successfully fuelled the Space Launch System rocket and demonstrated the launch countdown for Artemis II during the rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Engineers loaded over 700,000 gallons of liquid fuel, practiced closing the Orion capsule's hatches and completed two runs of the final phase of the launch countdown.
The Artemis II crew were present, but observing the wet dress rehearsal from the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center.
Previously-known issues around maintaining communications between ground teams seem to have re-surface, however.
NASA says teams experienced a loss of ground communications in the Launch Control Center.
However, backup communications kicked in so the fuelling could continue before engineers restored main communications and isolated what had caused the issue.
While no launch date has been confirmed, the Artemis II crew are preparing to enter quarantine again, having been released from earlier quarantine after issues with the first wet dress rehearsal became apparent.
Quarantine is a standard practice for the crewed Artemis missions, and sees the astronauts isolated in order to ensure they remain fit and healthy for the mission ahead.
NASA's earliest potential launch date for Artemis II is 6 March 2026.
What are your thoughts on the Artemis II mission? Let us know by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
