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6d ago

NASA Sets Artemis II Launch Windows as Rollout to Launch Pad Nears

Teams plan wet dress rehearsals to validate systems before committing to a crewed lunar flyby.

The Space Launch System rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building being prepared for Artemis 2.
Image
© NASA
During a training exercise in Houston in January 2025, the Artemis 2 crew practiced configuring the Orion spacecraft for orbit and its return to Earth.

Overview

  • The first available launch period opens Jan. 31–Feb. 14 with an earliest liftoff target of Feb. 6, followed by windows Feb. 28–March 13 and March 27–April 10.
  • NASA aims to roll the fully stacked SLS and Orion to Pad 39B on or after Jan. 17 for integrated pad hookups and countdown tests using the crawler‑transporter over a four‑mile route.
  • Artemis II is a roughly 10‑day test flight that will carry Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a lunar flyby without a landing.
  • Prelaunch preparations include one or more wet dress rehearsals that could require repeats or a rollback, with a flight readiness review to set the formal launch date.
  • Safety reviews continue after Artemis I heat‑shield charring and questions about Orion’s life support, while recent fixes addressed a bent flight‑termination cable, a hatch valve, and ground systems; NASA says ISS crew return operations do not alter the Artemis II timeline.