Overview
- The Space Launch System with the Orion capsule rolled from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B on January 17 for prelaunch checkouts.
- NASA’s wet dress rehearsal will load more than 2.6 million liters of propellant and is described by launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson as the last major hurdle before a go for launch.
- The mission is a roughly 10-day lunar flyby to validate Orion and SLS without a landing, paving the way for Artemis III, which is targeted no earlier than 2027 for a crewed landing.
- The crew comprises commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, marking firsts for a woman and a Canadian traveling beyond low Earth orbit.
- The primary launch window opens on February 6, with additional opportunities in March and April if the attempt slips.