Artemis II wet dress rehearsal countdown begins

The countdown for the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal has begun at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The clock started at 6:50 p.m. EST Tuesday—L‑49 hours, 40 minutes before a simulated launch window opening at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19—and the test is expected to run until approximately 12:30 a.m.

Friday, Feb. 20. The rehearsal will exercise the launch team and supporting centers, including Mission Control at Johnson Space Center, through operations such as loading cryogenic propellant into the SLS tanks, conducting a launch countdown, demonstrating countdown recycling, and draining the tanks to practice scrub procedures.

Teams are also preparing to install temporary platforms on the mobile launcher and stage equipment near the pad; the platforms will allow technicians to service flight‑termination system elements on the solid rocket boosters and the core stage intertank to meet Eastern Range safety requirements ahead of a potential March launch opportunity.

United States, Florida

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