NASA has set March 6 as the earliest possible launch date for Artemis II, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, contingent on the outcome of final checks and reviews following a full-scale launch rehearsal at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Lori Glaze, a senior official with the U.S. space agency, said work remains before the date can be confirmed, including pad preparations, a flight readiness review and analysis of data from the dress rehearsal.
- Advertisement -
“We need to successfully navigate all of those but assuming that happens, it puts us in a very good position to target 6 March,” Ms. Glaze said.
NASA recently conducted a wet dress rehearsal of its massive SLS rocket, a key milestone that simulates the final hours before liftoff under real-world conditions. The test involves loading the rocket with propellants, running through countdown procedures and exercising systems and teams as if it were launch day. The agency said operations proceeded as planned and concluded at “T-29 seconds” in the countdown.
The rehearsal follows a setback in February that included a liquid hydrogen leak, which dashed hopes of a lift-off this month. Hydrogen handling is among the most exacting aspects of fueling for heavy-lift rockets, and data from the completed rehearsal will inform any adjustments needed ahead of launch operations.
Artemis II will carry a four-person crew — three American astronauts and one Canadian — who will fly the Orion spacecraft on a lunar flyby, testing spacecraft performance and mission operations on the program’s first crewed outing. NASA has not announced changes to the crew or mission profile as it works through the remaining prelaunch steps.
The flight readiness review, a standard agency-wide assessment, is intended to certify that the rocket, spacecraft, ground systems and teams are prepared to proceed to launch. Engineers will also finish pad work ahead of rollout milestones and address any findings from the wet dress rehearsal before NASA sets the target more firmly on the calendar.
While the agency is signaling confidence after the successful rehearsal, officials emphasized that the schedule remains conditions-based. Any issues uncovered during data analysis or at the pad could shift the date beyond March 6.
Artemis II represents the program’s first crewed mission around the Moon since the Apollo era, a waypoint that will validate key systems in flight after uncrewed tests. NASA’s incremental approach — rehearsal, review and readiness checks — is designed to reduce risk ahead of sending astronauts on a deep-space trajectory for the first time in more than half a century.
NASA said it will provide updates as reviews are completed and prelaunch milestones are met.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
