NASA will soon do a high temperature test on it Artemis II rocket, a practice routine that must be successful before the four astronauts fly into orbit month.
The US space the agency entered 11 million-pound Space Launch System and the launcher moving to the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Saturday, Jan. 17. The slow march of a 322-meter rocket, at the top Orion spaceship, took 12 hours to age search-transporter to complete.
That four-kilometer journey would mark the first leg of Artemis II, a 10-day round trip that will include the spacecraft during its journey. The lunar mission will be NASA’s first with astronauts — Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Reid Wisemanand Canada’s Jeremy Hansen — in 53 years since Apollo 17.
The so-called “wet dress rehearsal” will load mega moon rocket with 700,000 liters of supercooled liquid and liquid hydrogen propellants and takes a countdown all the way down to 29 seconds before liftoff. How this test goes will shape the flight’s timeline and determine whether a February launch remains a possibility.
“We need to get past the wet blanket, we need to see what lessons we learn as a result, and that will set our launch path,” said Artemis Launch Director. Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said. “With a wet blanket without significant problems, if everything goes according to plan, there are certainly opportunities in February that can be realized.”
NASA says Artemis II can fly without a large, rugged deep-space antenna
A large NASA rocket leaves its storage facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Jan. 17, 2026.
Credit: NASA / Joel Kowsky
When is wetsuit practice?
A 322-foot rocket, taller than the Statue of Liberty, rolls past the launch pad on its way to the launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Jan. 17, 2026.
Credit: NASA / Aubrey Gemignan
During the test, the teams will fill the rocket and train all the major steps for the launch day. The controllers will run all the countdown procedures, including the last “terminal count”, and then intentionally stop at T-29 seconds. NASA has targeted February 2nd for a significant exercise, although that could change, depending on preparations.
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“We’ll review the data,” Blackwell-Thompson said, “and then we’ll prepare for our launch effort.”
The results will determine whether NASA will enter its launch window soon, which opens on February 6.
NASA’s crawler-transporter carries an 11 million rocket stack and mobile launcher to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 17, 2026.
Credit: NASA / Aubrey Gemignani
Artemis II builds on lessons learned from an unsuccessful maiden mission in 2022, which required several attempts to refuel. Engineers modified the way they load liquid oxygen after seeing heat problems and modified hardware after a hydrogen leak was discovered in the connection between the ground systems and the rocket. They were also modified and cryogenically tested it’s the key valve that caused the problem during the final countdown.
Since Artemis Ithe Kennedy Space Center has updated the procedures and developed hardware as part of the Artemis II program.
A mega moon rocket travels 4 miles to reach the wet test launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Jan. 17, 2026.
Credit: NASA / Ben Smegelsky
From left, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover, and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman answer questions from reporters as the mega moon rocket rolls behind them to the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Jan. 17, 2026.
Credit: NASA / Kim Shiflett
When will Artemis II launch?
After 12 hours of crawling, the rocket reaches launchpad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, just after 6pm ET on Jan. 17, 2026.
Credit: NASA / Brandon Hancock
Once wetsuit training is complete, engineers will consider the performance of the rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground system. Only if the data appears to be clean will the equipment managers proceed to set a specific start date.
NASA officials rejected any explanation that the team had “launch fever” or that preparations were rushed.
“I have one job, and it’s the safe return of Reid and Victor and Christina and Jeremy. I take that as a job and a trust,” said John Honeycutt, chairman of the mission’s management team. “We’ll fly when we’re ready.”
