NASA outlines path to Artemis 2 launch

WASHINGTON — NASA has provided a long-awaited update on plans for the Artemis 2 launch, including a Jan. 17 rollout of the launch vehicle to the pad.

In a statement issued late Jan. 9, NASA said it plans to roll the Space Launch System rocket, with the Orion spacecraft mounted on top, from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Complex 39B no earlier than Jan. 17. The rollout, which is subject to technical readiness and weather conditions, is expected to take about 12 hours.

Once at the pad, technicians will conduct a series of tests of vehicle and ground systems and prepare for the final major milestone before launch: a wet dress rehearsal. During that test, the rocket will be loaded with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants and will undergo a full practice countdown. NASA said the test is planned for late January.

NASA struggled with the wet dress rehearsal ahead of the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission in 2022, conducting several attempts over nearly three months before declaring success. Even after completing the rehearsal, hydrogen leaks during propellant loading scrubbed the first two launch attempts in late August and early September of that year.

“While NASA has integrated lessons learned from Artemis I into the launch countdown procedures, the agency will pause to address any issues during the test or at any other point should technical challenges arise,” NASA stated. The agency added it could perform additional wet dress rehearsals or roll the vehicle back to the VAB if necessary.

NASA did not disclose how much schedule margin exists to accommodate potential delays. However, the statement publicly detailed launch periods for Artemis 2 for the first time.

The first launch period includes late-evening launch windows (Eastern time) on Feb. 6, 7 and 8, as well as shortly after midnight Eastern on Feb. 10 and 11. A second launch period runs from March 6 to 11, with a third from April 1 to 6.

Until the Jan. 9 statement, NASA had provided few details in recent weeks about Artemis 2 preparations, despite the mission’s historic significance as the first crewed flight beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972. As recently as Jan. 8, a NASA spokesperson told media accredited to cover the launch that “we do not have a date for rollout.”

NASA said it has been addressing several minor issues identified during recent work, including a countdown demonstration test conducted inside the VAB on Dec. 20. Those issues included a cable bent out of specification in the flight termination system, a valve in Orion’s hatch pressurization system that required replacement and leaking ground support hardware used to load oxygen gas into Orion for crew breathing.

“We have important steps remaining on our path to launch, and crew safety will remain our top priority at every turn as we near humanity’s return to the moon,” said Lori Glaze, NASA acting associate administrator for exploration systems development, in the statement.

Another potential constraint on the Artemis 2 schedule is NASA’s effort to move up the launch of Crew-12. That mission had been scheduled for mid-February, after the end of the first Artemis 2 launch period. However, in a Jan. 8 announcement regarding the early return of Crew-11, NASA said it would explore options to advance Crew-12 to reduce the time the International Space Station operates with only three crew members.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman downplayed any potential conflict between Crew-12 and Artemis 2 at the Jan. 8 briefing. “These would be totally separate campaigns,” he said. “There’s no reason to believe at this point in time that there’d be any overlap that we’d have to deconflict.”

However, NASA said in November it moved Crew-12 from a late March launch to mid-February to avoid potential conflicts with Artemis 2. “As both missions advance toward launch and rely on resources and facilities at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, this change helps deconflict operations,” the agency stated at the time.