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34m ago

Artemis II Rolls to Pad for Final Tests as NASA Eyes Early February Launch Window

The rollout starts the final test campaign whose fueling rehearsal will determine if early February launch dates are viable.

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NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, appear inside the Vehicle Assembly Building this week at Kennedy Space Center.
Artemis II lunar mission astronauts pause outside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building during their Countdown Demonstration Test at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 20, 2025. (L-R) Canadian Space Agency astronaut and NASA Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, NASA astronaut and Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch, NASA astronaut and Artemis II pilot Victor Glover and NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman. Designed to test launch-day procedures, the test is a dress rehearsal of what will happen on launch day, which is currently targeted for no earlier than February 1, 2026. (Photo by Gregg Newton / AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • NASA plans to begin moving the stacked Space Launch System and Orion from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B at 7 a.m. ET, a 4‑mile crawl expected to take 8 to 12 hours.
  • Once on the pad, teams will connect ground systems and power up integrated hardware ahead of a wet dress rehearsal targeted around February 2.
  • The rehearsal will load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants and run a countdown to T‑minus 29 seconds, and its outcome will drive whether launch can occur February 6–11.
  • Artemis II will send Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a roughly 10‑day free‑return flight around the Moon, reaching about 4,700 miles beyond the lunar farside.
  • Mission managers stress crew safety and lessons from Artemis I, noting additional launch opportunities March 6–11 and April 1–6 and 30 if February dates are not feasible.