NASA has postponed the Artemis II mission launch following the successful completion of a crucial prelaunch fuel test. The agency is now eyeing March as the earliest possible launch timeframe. The decision comes after a wet dress rehearsal conducted at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on February 3. This test involved loading cryogenic propellants into the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, finalizing work on the Orion spacecraft, and safely draining the rocket.
The wet dress rehearsal kicked off with a 49-hour countdown that commenced on January 31. These rehearsals are vital for mimicking launch-day procedures and uncovering any potential technical glitches before greenlighting a mission for liftoff.
The four Artemis II astronauts, who began quarantine in Houston on January 21, will now be released from isolation and will not head to Florida as initially scheduled. They are expected to re-enter quarantine around two weeks before the next identified launch opportunity.
NASA assured that no immediate safety concerns arose during the rehearsal, although certain issues would have required attention on launch day. With a potential launch window in March now being considered, teams will concentrate on addressing each problem and gearing up for additional testing before an official launch date is set.
Artemis II marks the inaugural crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program, featuring astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, embarking on a voyage around the Moon.
