NASA successfully fueled its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and demonstrated the launch countdown for Artemis II on Thursday during a wet dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Engineers loaded more than 700,000 gallons of liquid propellant into the rocket, sent a closeout crew to the launchpad to demonstrate closing the Orion spacecraft’s hatches, and completed two runs of terminal count—the final phase of the launch countdown.
During the rehearsal, teams closely monitored liquid hydrogen fueling operations, which proved challenging during previous 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.
While engineers fully review data from the test, the Artemis II crew is preparing to enter quarantine on Friday in Houston ahead of a potential launch no earlier than Friday, March 6.
