NASA nails second wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II moon mission

"Starting on Thursday at 10:30am local time (15:30 GMT), the space agency loaded the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with more than 2.6 million litres of propellant. Ground crews at the Kennedy Launch Centre, Florida, then practised sealing the hatches on the Orion spacecraft, which will carry four astronauts - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen - on a trip around the moon."

"Critically, the hydrogen fuel leaks that brought the previous rehearsal to a sudden halt remained below the 16 per cent loss rate that NASA considers safe. Finally, NASA completed two full simulated launch countdowns - making this second wet dress rehearsal a complete success. 'NASA teams successfully fueled the Artemis II rocket during tonight's prelaunch test for the lunar mission,' the space agency confirmed on X."

NASA completed a second wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II, fueling the Space Launch System rocket and conducting full simulated countdowns. Ground teams loaded more than 2.6 million litres of propellant and kept hydrogen leaks below the 16 per cent loss rate NASA considers safe. Ground crews practiced sealing the Orion spacecraft hatches that will protect astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen during the lunar flyby. The crew will enter quarantine in Houston on February 20 for at least 14 days, preserving flexibility in a March launch window. The SLS remains non-reusable and is considered an experimental vehicle. A brief loss of ground communication occurred.

Read at Mail Online