NASA's Moon rocket clears launch rehearsal, March liftoff in sight
20 Feb 2026

NASA has successfully conducted the wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission at Kennedy Space Center.

The test was a major milestone in preparing for the crewed lunar mission. NASA is now targeting a launch date of March 6, 2026.

This shift comes after technical delays in early February pushed the mission out of its original February window.

The rehearsal involved fueling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with super-cold liquid oxygen and hydrogen, simulating an actual launch.

Countdown was simulated twice to ensure everything worked perfectly
Test details

The rehearsal saw over 700,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen and hydrogen pumped into the rocket's core and upper stages.

Although the four-member crew wasn't on board for this test, mission teams treated it like a real launch countdown.

They even ran through the final 10 minutes of the countdown twice to ensure everything worked perfectly.

Team halted the countdown just 33 seconds before a launch
Safety measures

To prepare for possible launch delays due to weather or technical issues, the team halted the countdown just 33 seconds before a simulated launch.

They then reset the timer back to 10 minutes.

This rehearsal is as close as NASA can get to a real launch without actually igniting the engines.

It ensures that ground systems, technicians and engineers (closeout crew), and automated software can work in perfect harmony.

Artemis II mission set for March 6
Upcoming flight

The successful completion of this rehearsal clears the way for the actual Artemis II mission.

Scheduled to launch in March 6, it will carry Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on a high-speed loop around the Moon.

This 10-day mission will be humanity's first journey beyond Earth's orbit since 1972.