NASA now eyes March for Artemis II launch after fueling test amid Florida cold
The Artemis II countdown rehearsal unfolded amid record cold on Florida’s Space Coast, adding challenges as teams prepared for the historic flight.
The Artemis 2 crew said seeing the space capsule up-close brought home the reality of their historic mission.
NASA is now targeting a launch in March 2026 for its Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight around the moon in more than 50 years, after a critical fueling test at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida revealed challenges delaying liftoff beyond the previously planned February launch window.
Teams conducted a wet dress rehearsal this week, a full launch-day countdown simulation that includes loading the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with supercooled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and running through key prelaunch procedures. The test unfolded amid an unusually intense blast of cold air across Florida’s Space Coast, with record-breaking low temperatures adding complexity to the operation.
NASA officials say they met many planned objectives during the fuel test but will now take additional time to review data and make sure all systems are ready before committing to a launch. That review, combined with the need for a second countdown rehearsal, shifts the earliest possible crewed launch into March.
A full moon is seen shining over NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft, atop the mobile launcher in the early hours of Feb. 1, 2026 at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Image credit: NASA/Sam Lott)
The Artemis II mission will carry NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey around the far side of the moon and back, testing spacecraft systems and paving the way for future lunar exploration. With the decision to push the launch date, the astronauts were able to leave quarantine in Houston on Tuesday.
At Kennedy Space Center, teams delayed parts of the wet dress rehearsal to manage hardware sensitivities in the frigid conditions, using heaters and other protective measures to safeguard critical components. Despite the cold, engineers made steady progress through key milestones, including chilldown of propellant lines and tanking operations.
Cold weather had already forced adjustments to the schedule earlier in the week, with the dress rehearsal moved from its original plan to avoid subfreezing temperatures. That weather-related delay had already pushed the earliest potential launch opportunity from around Feb. 8 into later windows.
NASA said teams will continue to assess data from the wet dress rehearsal and, if needed, conduct additional testing before committing to a firm launch date in March.
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