Artemis 2, a 10-day crewed circumlunar mission carrying Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, has been rolled to Launch Pad 39B. Teams will complete technical checkouts, a second crew countdown demonstration and a full wet dress rehearsal that loads more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant before the Feb. 6 launch window. Lessons from Artemis 1 — including fixes for hydrogen leaks and ground-plate redesigns — have shaped preparations. NASA stresses safety and will use backup launch windows in February, March and April if needed.
Artemis 2 Is On The Pad — Wet Dress Rehearsal, Fueling And Final Tests Ahead
The Artemis 2 mission may be launched as early as February 6. . | Credit: NASA/Sam Lott
NASA's Artemis 2 — a planned 10-day crewed lunar flyby — is now sitting on Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center as teams prepare a final series of technical checks and a full fuel rehearsal ahead of the prime Feb. 6 launch window.
The mission will carry Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Christina Koch of NASA, together with Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, on a circumlunar trajectory aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion crew capsule.
What Happens Next
After rolling the stacked SLS and Orion from the Vehicle Assembly Building at 7:01 a.m. EST (1201 GMT) and arriving at the pad nearly 12 hours later, teams began connecting and verifying interfaces to ground systems, powering up vehicle and pad systems, and preparing the firing room.
The Space Launch System and Orion capsule are rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building on Jan. 17, 2025. | Credit: Josh Dinner/Space.com
Engineers will run a series of pad checkouts including functional tests of the crew access arm and its test swings, radio-frequency and communications checks, booster servicing, and configuration tests of the emergency egress "basket" system designed to remove personnel quickly from the pad in an emergency.
Countdown Demonstration And Wet Dress Rehearsal
The crew will take part in a second countdown demonstration test that includes a walk-down of the emergency egress system. The marquee milestone is the wet dress rehearsal — a full fueling exercise and simulated countdown — which NASA aims to complete no later than Feb. 2, four days before the Feb. 6 launch window opens.
"We need to get through wet dress. We need to see what lessons that we learn as a result of that. And that will ultimately lay out our path toward launch," said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis 2 launch director.
During the wet dress, teams will demonstrate loading more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants, execute a launch countdown, and practice safing procedures to remove propellant without astronauts onsite. Because Artemis 2 is a developmental mission, timelines will remain flexible to prioritize safety.
The Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule sit on the launch pad. | Credit: NASA/Sam Lott
Lessons From Artemis 1
Teams are benefiting from hard-won lessons from Artemis 1, which required multiple wet dress attempts before launch. Those lessons led to procedural and hardware changes: improved temperature regulation during fueling, changes to how liquid hydrogen is loaded, and design modifications to the ground umbilical plates that supply power, coolant, fuel and communications to the rocket.
Engineers adjusted interfaces between flight plates and ground plates to reduce leak risks at flex-hose connections, tuned flow rates, temperatures and pressures to address cavity leaks, and redesigned a troublesome ground-equipment "replenish valve." These systems have since been tested through the cycles expected for Artemis 2.
Schedule And Safety
While Feb. 6 is the prime launch date, additional launch opportunities are available later in February and into March and April. NASA officials stress they will only proceed to launch once the vehicle, ground systems and procedures are verified safe.
Bottom line: The next critical step is a clean wet dress rehearsal. If that goes smoothly, February launch opportunities could be achievable; if issues arise, teams will take the necessary time to fix them before committing to a launch date.
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