Artemis 2 SLS wet dress rehearsal latest news: Moon rocket fueling test now set for Feb. 2

Artemis 2 moon launch may delay ISS Crew-12 mission

NASA’s plan to launch its Artemis 2 astronauts around the moon around Feb. 8 has cast doubt on whether the next U.S. crew launch to the International Space Station will lift off on time.

Artemis 2 is currently scheduled to launch four astronauts around the moon late in the evening on Feb. 8 from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Crew-12 mission to the ISS was scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket from a nearby pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

But if Artemis 2 launches on time, or anytime during its launch window of Feb. 8 to Feb. 11, NASA will wait to launch Crew-12 to the International Space Station until at leas Feb. 19, after the Artemis 2 astronauts return home from their 10-day mission, NASA officials said in a press conference today.

See our full story by Josh dinner here:

NASA’s Artemis 2 mission to the moon puts Crew-12 SpaceX launch in delicate dance

Tariq Malik

NASA delays Artemis 2 fueling test back to Feb. 2

Happy Friday, Space Fans! It is Jan. 30 and this morning, NASA pushed back its planned “wet dress rehearsal” test of the Artemis 2 moon rocket to no earlier than Feb. 2 (it’s original date) due to freezing temperatures at its Launch Pad 39B pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Here’s our latest update from writer Josh Dinner:

NASA delays critical Artemis 2 rocket fueling test due to below-freezing temperatures, launch no earlier than Feb. 8

Notice anything about that headline? If you said the launch date, you get a prize.

With the wet dress rehearsal, essentially a critical fueling test of the Artemis 2 Space Launch System moon rocket, now back on Feb. 2, NASA said in a statement that it can no longer target Feb. 6 or Feb. 7, the first two days of its launch window. The Artemis 2 launch window originally ran from Feb. 6 to Feb. 10.

NASA does have opportunities to launch the mission on Feb. 8, Feb. 10 and Feb. 11. A Feb. 8 launch would lift off at 11:20 p.m. ET (0429 GMT), NASA has said.

Tariq Malik

NASA beginning wet dress rehearsal operations Thursday evening

Artemis 2 mission operators at NASA are preparing the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for it’s last critical test before launch.

The SLS wet dress rehearsal will simulate a mission countdown for ground teams to power on and fuel the rocket as a final qualifying check before Artemis 2 launches to the moon.

NASA is targeting a call to stations as early as 8:00 p.m. EST (2000 GMT) on Thursday (Jan. 29), about 49 hours before a simulated liftoff time on Saturday, at 9:00 p.m. EST (0200 GMT, Feb. 1).

If the test goes smoothly, NASA could choose to proceed toward the February launch window for Artemis 2, which opens Feb. 6-10.