Artemis II crew begins quarantine in Houston ahead of lunar flyaround

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, entered quarantine late Friday in Houston as they prepare to fly around the Moon on the Artemis II mission. The crew’s quarantine is part of the health stabilization program, which typically starts about 14 days before launch, and was begun now to preserve flexibility as teams work toward potential opportunities in the February launch period.

At this time, the agency still has not set an official launch date as testing continues. Pending the outcome of the wet dress rehearsal or other operations considerations, the crew can come out of quarantine and re-enter 14 days before any launch date. If testing and activities progress toward a possible launch next month, the crew will fly to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center about six days ahead of launch and live in the astronaut crew quarters inside the Neil A.

Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. During quarantine the crew will avoid public places, wear masks, maintain distance from others, and continue final training activities such as mission simulations and medical checkouts while keeping regular contact with friends, family, and colleagues who observe quarantine guidelines.

Meanwhile, teams at Kennedy continue preparing the SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems, having completed checkouts of mechanical power systems, cryogenic propellant lines, and engines at Launch Pad 39B. On Saturday, Jan.

Key Topics

Science, Artemis Ii, Houston, Kennedy Space Center, Sls, Orion Spacecraft