WATCH: NASA to Conduct Second Wet Dress Rehearsal Feb. 19 for Artemis II Crewed Lunar Mission

SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft are currently stacked atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B

WATCH LIVE: This live feed from our Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County provides continuous views of the Artemis II Moon rocket. NASA is moving one step closer to its next crewed lunar mission as the agency prepares to conduct a critical wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II, with live coverage scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19, followed by a post-test news conference on Friday, Feb. 20.

BREVARD COUNTY • KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA — NASA is moving one step closer to its next crewed lunar mission as the agency prepares to conduct a critical wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II, with live coverage scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19, followed by a post-test news conference on Friday, Feb. 20.

The wet dress rehearsal will test the fueling procedures for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket as teams simulate launch-day operations at Kennedy Space Center.

The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft are currently stacked atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B. During the rehearsal, launch teams will count down to the opening of a simulated launch window at 8:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 19.

The test is expected to last up to four hours and will include loading cryogenic propellants into the rocket, a key milestone in validating systems and procedures ahead of launch.

NASA officials will provide an update on the test results during a news conference at 11 a.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 20.

Participants will include Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate; John Honeycutt, chair of the Artemis II Mission Management Team; and a representative from Exploration Ground Systems.

The agency will stream the news conference live on NASA’s YouTube channel. In addition, a 24/7 live camera view of the rocket at the launch pad remains available online, with a separate feed planned to capture wet dress rehearsal activities. NASA will also publish real-time blog updates throughout the fueling test.

This marks the second wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II, following a previous attempt that concluded Feb. 3.

Artemis II will be NASA’s first crewed mission of the Artemis campaign, sending four astronauts on a journey around the Moon and back to Earth. The crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch of NASA, along with Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.

NASA officials say Artemis represents a new era of exploration, laying the groundwork for sustained human presence on the Moon and future crewed missions to Mars.

More information about the Artemis campaign is available HERE.

 

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