NASA is set to launch four astronauts on the highly anticipated Artemis II mission, scheduled for March 6. This groundbreaking flight will take astronauts around the moon, marking a historic return to lunar exploration.
The launch date was confirmed after NASA successfully filled the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with over 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant and completed a comprehensive refueling test. This test simulated nearly every countdown step and launch-day procedures.
A successful wet dress rehearsal indicates that astronauts could be just two weeks away from visiting the moon for the first time in over half a century.
The Artemis II mission will be historic, as it will be the first time NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule carry humans. The mission is set to last 10 days, during which astronauts will journey farther from Earth than any humans have ever traveled.
Thursday’s extensive refueling test signaled significant progress for NASA. This was the second attempt at a wet dress rehearsal; the first was halted on February 2 due to a hydrogen fuel leak detected in the rocket’s rear. This issue led mission managers to abandon all launch windows for February.
Lori Glaze, acting deputy administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, emphasized that the March 6 launch depends on completing necessary work on the launch pad and the thorough evaluation of the wet dress rehearsal results.
The mission team plans to hold a flight readiness review next week, where NASA managers and executives will officially certify the rocket and spacecraft for flight.
“Everything is set in front of us,” Glaze stated at a press conference on Friday. “If we can get through these final preparations, we are in a strong position to target March 6.”
In the interim between the first and second wet dress rehearsals, engineers addressed earlier leaks by replacing two seals in the fuel supply line and conducting repairs and tests on the launch pad. Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson reported that the seals are now “rock solid” after the recent repairs.
“Overcoming this wet dress rehearsal milestone was crucial for our progress,” she noted.
The Artemis II crew consists of NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. While they did not participate in the wet dress rehearsal, several crew members were present at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, during the test.
“I had the opportunity to speak with Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen,” Glaze shared. “They are extremely enthusiastic about the possibility of a March launch.”
To ensure their health ahead of the mission, the astronauts will undergo quarantine in Houston starting Friday afternoon. They will arrive in Florida about five days before the launch and continue their pre-flight quarantine at Kennedy Space Center.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
