NASA Begins Artemis II Launch Pad Ops After Successful Fuel Test

NASA successfully fueled its SLS rocket and demonstrated the launch countdown for Artemis II during a wet dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center. Engineers loaded more than 700,000 gallons of liquid propellant, sent a closeout crew to the pad to close Orion’s hatches, and completed two runs of terminal count while the Artemis II crew observed from the Launch Control Center.

Teams closely monitored liquid hydrogen fueling, which had been challenging in earlier tests. Hydrogen gas concentrations remained under allowable limits, giving engineers confidence in new seals installed in an interface used to route fuel to the rocket. Early in fueling, a loss of ground communications in the Launch Control Center led operators to switch to backup methods until normal channels were restored, and engineers later isolated the equipment that caused the issue.

While engineers review test data, the Artemis II crew will enter quarantine late Friday, Feb. 20, in Houston.

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