Technicians at Kennedy Space Center performed a dress rehearsal ahead of a critical SLS "wet dress" fueling test to pave the way for the Artemis II lunar flight. The team planned to load more than 750,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen to verify tanks, plumbing and scrub procedures, with tanks expected to be in replenish mode by about 4:30 p.m. If successful, the Artemis II crew will travel to Florida later this week for final launch preparations. Delays from Arctic weather pushed the earliest launch window to Feb. 8, leaving Feb. 8, 10 and 11 as February options; backups run March 3–11.
Artemis II 'Wet Dress' Fueling Test Set to Clear Way for Moon Launch
A full moon rises behind NASA's Space Launch System moon rocket atop pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. If a practice countdown and fueling test Monday go well, NASA is expected to press ahead with launch of the Artemis II mission on Feb. 8, sending four astronauts on a flight around the moon. / Credit: NASA
Braving unusually cold, sub‑freezing temperatures, technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center conducted a dress‑rehearsal countdown Sunday as they prepared the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for a critical "wet dress" fueling test Monday designed to clear the path for the Artemis II crewed flight around the Moon.
The simulated countdown began Saturday evening and ran through a mock launch window opening at 9 p.m. EST Monday. The exercise was delayed two days by forecasts of Arctic weather along Florida's Space Coast, a setback that moved the Artemis II launch from Feb. 6 to no earlier than the night of Feb. 8 — which coincides with Super Bowl Sunday.
Crew Status: Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen remain in pre‑flight medical quarantine at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. If the fueling rehearsal proceeds without issue, the crew is expected to travel to the Florida launch site later this week to continue final preparations.
What The Test Will Do: On Monday the launch team planned to load more than 750,000 gallons of supercold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the SLS two‑stage vehicle. The purpose is to run the team through full propellant loading sequences, verify that tanks and propellant plumbing are leak‑free, practice countdown recycling and rehearse tank drain procedures used when a scrub is necessary.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft, integrated for the Artemis II mission, are seen at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on February 1, 2026 ahead of the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years. / Credit: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo /AFP via Getty Images
"This test will run the launch team ... through a full range of operations, including loading cryogenic liquid propellant into the SLS rocket's tanks, conducting a launch countdown, demonstrating the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and draining the tanks to practice scrub procedures," NASA said in a blog post. "These steps ensure the team is fully prepared for launch day."
During preparations for the SLS maiden flight in 2022, leaks and hardware issues caused multiple postponements. Launch Director Charlie Blackwell‑Thompson said upgrades and lessons learned since then have improved the team's chances of completing Monday's fueling operation without major problems.
The "wet dress" timeline called for propellant flow to begin just after 11 a.m. Monday. If all goes smoothly, the 177‑foot‑tall core stage and the 45‑foot‑tall Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) should be fully loaded and placed in a "replenish" condition by roughly 4:30 p.m.
In a normal launch sequence the crew would travel to the pad after fueling to strap in, test pressure suits and verify communications with the launch team. No astronauts will be aboard for Monday's rehearsal; engineers will instead exercise contingencies and troubleshooting procedures that could be needed on launch day.
"This process simulates real‑world conditions, including scenarios where a launch might be scrubbed due to technical or weather issues," NASA added. "At the end of the test, the team will drain the propellant and review all data before setting an official target launch date."
Because of orbital geometry, lighting constraints and other factors, NASA has only five possible launch opportunities in February. The first two windows, Feb. 6 and 7, are no longer available largely because of the fueling‑test delay. The remaining February windows are Feb. 8, 10 and 11; if the mission cannot lift off by Feb. 11, Artemis II would move to the next set of opportunities from March 3 through March 11.
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