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NASA Rolls Artemis II Moon Rocket to Launch Pad as Wet Dress Rehearsal Nears

A full fueling rehearsal will determine whether the mission can target early February launch opportunities.

Image
The Orion crew capsule exits the vehicle assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., January 17, 2026. Launch around the moon and back is scheduled for no earlier than February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
NASA's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, rolls to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. January 17, 2026. Launch around the moon and back is scheduled for February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 17, 2026, ahead of the crewed lunar mission. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft moved from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad 39B on Jan. 17 to begin pad checkouts, including radio-frequency tests and emergency-escape drills.
  • NASA will conduct a wet dress rehearsal with full propellant loading and a practice countdown to T-minus 29 seconds, and the outcome will drive the launch schedule.
  • Officials will not set a launch date until after the rehearsal and data review, with Feb. 6–11 as the earliest window and March or April as backups.
  • Parallel planning for a potentially accelerated Crew-12 flight to the International Space Station could constrain shared resources, and NASA says it will sequence the missions if required.
  • The 10-day flyby will carry Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen around the Moon without landing, with splashdown planned in the Pacific for U.S. Navy recovery.