NASA has begun a two-day dress rehearsal at Cape Canaveral for a crucial fueling test of its 322-foot Space Launch System rocket. Crew members, led by Commander Reid Wiseman, are quarantined and will monitor proceedings from Houston before moving to Kennedy Space Center if the rocket is cleared. Ground teams will load over 700,000 gallons of super-cold propellant, pausing about 30 seconds before ignition; a recent cold snap pushed the earliest launch date to Feb. 8. The Orion crew capsule will swing around the moon and return for a Pacific splashdown on a mission of roughly 10 days.
NASA Starts Two-Day Dress Rehearsal Ahead Of First Crewed Moon Flyby In Over 50 Years
This photo provided by NASA shows the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Jim Ross/NASA via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA began a two-day dress rehearsal countdown Saturday ahead of a critical fueling test for its new Space Launch System (SLS) — a key milestone that will help set the timeline for a crewed lunar flyby. The exercise will culminate with teams loading more than 700,000 gallons of super-cold propellant into the rocket, stopping roughly 30 seconds short of engine ignition to simulate launch conditions.
Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew are already isolated in quarantine to reduce infection risk and will observe the rehearsal from Houston. The astronauts will travel to Kennedy Space Center only after the rocket is declared ready for flight. If Monday’s fueling test goes smoothly, NASA could attempt a launch within about a week.
The 322-foot (98-meter) SLS moved to the pad about two weeks ago. A bitter cold snap forced a two-day delay in the fueling demonstration and launch preparations, making Feb. 8 the earliest feasible liftoff date.
FILE - NASA's new rocket Artemis II sits on Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mission Profile
The crew will ride inside the Orion capsule atop the rocket. Their mission will send the U.S. and Canadian astronauts on a high-speed trajectory around the moon and then directly back to Earth without entering lunar orbit. Splashdown is planned in the Pacific, and the entire mission is expected to last nearly 10 days.
Why The Fueling Test Matters
Loading the rocket with cryogenic propellants is one of the most complex and hazardous steps before flight. The dress rehearsal verifies tanking procedures, ground systems and safety protocols under realistic conditions while stopping short of engine start. Successful completion reduces risk and helps pin down a launch date.
Background: NASA last sent humans to the moon during the Apollo program, which ran from 1968 to 1972. Of the 24 astronauts who traveled to the moon during Apollo, 12 walked on its surface.
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