The Fueling Test for the Second Flight of SLS Is Officially Underway...

NASA / Cory S Huston

Countdown Begins for Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal (News Release)

The countdown for the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal is underway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The countdown clock began at 8:13 p.m. EST, or L-48 hours, 40 minutes before the opening of a simulated launch window at 9 p.m. on Monday, February 2. The test is expected to go until approximately 1 a.m. on February 3.

This test will run the launch team, as well as supporting teams in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and other supporting NASA centers, through a full range of operations, including loading cryogenic liquid propellant into the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s tanks, conducting a launch countdown, demonstrating the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and draining the tanks to practice scrub procedures. These steps ensure that the team is fully prepared for launch day.

A 24/7 live stream of the rocket at the pad continues online. NASA will provide a separate feed during tanking activities, as well as real-time blog post updates regarding the test during the fueling day.

Countdown Milestones

The countdown contains “L minus” and “T minus” times. “L minus” indicates how far away we are from liftoff in hours and minutes. “T minus” time is a sequence of events that are built into the countdown. Pauses in the countdown, or “holds,” are built into the countdown to allow the launch team to target a precise launch window, and to provide a cushion of time for certain tasks and procedures without impacting the overall schedule.

During planned holds in the countdown process, the countdown clock is intentionally stopped and the T- time also stops. The L- time, however, continues to advance.

During the rehearsal, the team will execute a detailed countdown sequence. They will pause at T-1 minute and 30 seconds for up to three minutes, then resume until T-33 seconds before launch and pause again. After that, they will recycle the clock back to T-10 minutes and conduct a second terminal countdown to approximately T-33 seconds before ending the sequence.

The recycling process simulates real-world conditions, including scenarios where a launch might be scrubbed due to technical or weather issues. At the end of the test, the team will drain the propellant and review all data before setting an official target launch date.

While the Artemis II crew members are not participating in the wet dress rehearsal, crew milestones occurring during launch day will be incorporated into the test timeline and the Artemis closeout crew will practice their closeout operations, which include closing the Orion crew module and launch abort system hatches.

Below are some of the key events that take place at each milestone after the countdown begins. All times are approximate for when these milestones are expected to occur.

L-49 hours 15 minutes and counting

-- L-49H, 15M: The launch team arrives on their stations and the countdown begins
-- L-48H40M: The countdown clock begins
-- L-47H30M – L-38H30M: Fill the water tank for the sound suppression system
-- L-48H45M – L-39H45M: Liquid Oxygen (LOX)/Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) system preparations for vehicle loading
-- L-39H30M – L-38H45M: The core stage is powered up
-- L-40H30M – L-39H: The interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) is powered up
-- L-38H45M – L-34H30M: Final preparations of the four RS-25 engines

L-34 hours 30 minutes and counting

-- L-33H45M – L-33H10M: The ICPS is powered down
-- L-32H30M – L-28H30M: Charge Orion flight batteries to 100%
-- L-30H30M – L-23H30M: Charge core stage flight batteries
-- L-19H15M – L-17H45M: The ICPS is powered-up for launch
-- L-19H30M – L-16H: Orion crew suit regulator leak checks

L-15 hours and counting

-- L-14H30M – L-13H: All non-essential personnel leave Launch Complex 39B
-- L-12H45M – 11H15M: Ground Launch Sequencer (GLS) activation
-- L-13H15M – L-11H05M: Air-to-gaseous nitrogen (GN2) changeover and vehicle cavity inerting

L-11 hours, 40 minutes and counting

-- L-11H35M – L-9H20M: 2-hour 15-minute built-in countdown hold begins
-- L-11H40M – L-10H30M: Launch team conducts a weather and tanking briefing
-- L-10H20M: Launch team decides if they are “go” or “no-go” to begin tanking the rocket
-- L-10H10M – L-9H50M: Core stage LOX transfer line chilldown
-- L-10H10M – L-9H25M: Core stage LH2 chilldown
--L-10H20M – L-9H: Orion cold soak

L-10 hours and counting

-- L-9H50M – L-9H10M: Core stage LOX main propulsion system chilldown
-- L-9H25M – L-9H: Core stage LH2 slow fill start
-- L-9H20M: Resume T-Clock from T-8H10M
-- L-9H10M – L-8H55M: Core stage LOX slow fill
-- L-9H – L-7H40M: Core stage LH2 fast fill
-- L-8H55M – L-6H10M: Core stage LOX fast fill
-- L-8H45M – L-8H10M: ICPS LH2 chilldown
-- L-8H10M – L-7H25M: ICPS LH2 fast fill start
-- L-7H45M – L-6H: ICPS LOX main propulsion system chilldown
-- L-7H40M – L-7H30M: Core stage LH2 topping
-- L-7H30M – terminal count: Core stage LH2 replenish
-- L-7H25M – L-7H05M: ICPS LH2 vent and relief test
-- L-7H05M – L-6H55M: ICPS LH2 tank topping start
-- L-6H50M – terminal count: ICPS LH2 replenish
-- L-6H10M – L-5H40M: Orion communications system activated (RF to mission control)
-- L-6H10M – L-5H40M: Core stage LOX topping

L-6 hours and counting

-- L-6H – L-5H15M: ICPS LOX fast fill
-- L-5H40M – terminal count: Core stage LOX replenish
-- L-5H15M – L-5H: ICPS LOX vent and relief test
-- L-5H – L-4H40M: ICPS LOX topping
-- L-5H40M: Stage pad rescue
-- L-5H40M: Closeout crew assemble
-- L-4H40M – terminal count: ICPS LOX replenish
-- L-4H40M: All stages replenish
-- L-4H40M: Start 40-minute built in hold
-- L-4H40M-L-4H25M: Closeout crew to white room
-- L-4H30M – L-4H20M: Crew Module hatch preps and closure
-- L-4H20M – L-3H20M: Counterbalance mechanism hatch sealpress decay checks
-- L-3H20M – L-2H40M: Crew Module Hatch service panel install/closeouts
-- L-2H40M – L2H20M: Launch Abort System (LAS) Hatch closure for flight
-- L-1H10M: Launch Director brief – Flight vehicle/TPS Scan results with CICE
-- L-1H45M – L-1H40M: Closeout crew departs Launch Complex 39B

L-40 minutes and holding

-- L-40M: Built in 30-minute countdown hold begins

L-25 minutes and holding

-- L-25M: Transition team to Orion-to-Earth communication loop following final NTD briefing
-- L-16M: The launch director polls the team to ensure that they are “go” for launch

T-10 minutes and counting

-- T-10M: Ground Launch Sequencer (GLS) initiates terminal count
-- T-8M: Crew Access Arm retract
-- T-6M: GLS go for core stage tank pressurization
-- T-6M: Orion set to internal power
-- T-5M57S: Core stage LH2 terminate replenish
-- T-4M: GLS is go for core stage auxiliary power unit (APU) start
-- T-4M: Core Stage APU starts
-- T-4M: Core stage LOX terminate replenish
-- T-3M30S: ICPS LOX terminate replenish
-- T-3M10S: GLS is go for purge sequence 4
-- T-2M02S: ICPS switches to internal battery power
-- T-2M: Booster switches to internal batter power
--T-1M30S: Hold for three minutes to verify core stage certification hold time
-- T-1M30S: Core stage switches to internal power
-- T-1M20S: ICPS enters terminal countdown mode
-- T-50S: ICPS LH2 terminate replenish
-- T-33S: GLS sends “go for automated launch sequencer” command
-- T-33S: GLS Cutoff/Recycle

Inside the terminal countdown, teams have a few options to hold the count if needed.

-- The launch team can hold at 6 minutes for the duration of the launch window, less the 6 minutes needed to launch, without having to recycle back to 10 minutes.
-- If teams need to stop the clock between T-6 minutes and T-1 minute, 30 seconds, they can hold for up to 3 minutes and resume the clock to launch. If they require more than 3 minutes of hold time, the countdown recycles back to T- 10.
-- If the clock stops after T-1 minute and 30 seconds, but before the automated launch sequencer takes over, then teams can recycle back to T-10 to try again, provided that there is adequate launch window remaining.
-- On launch day, after handover to the automated launch sequencer, any issue that would stop the countdown would lead to concluding the launch attempt for that day.

Source: NASA.Gov

A Fueling Test for the Next Flight of SLS Has Been Delayed by Freezing Weather in Florida...

NASA / Brandon Hancock

NASA Updates Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal, Launch Opportunities (News Release)

NASA is targeting Monday, February 2, as the tanking day for the upcoming Artemis II wet dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as a result of weather. With this change, the first potential opportunity to launch is no earlier than Sunday, February 8.

Over the past several days, engineers have been closely monitoring conditions as cold weather and winds move through Florida. Managers have assessed hardware capabilities against the projected forecast given the rare arctic outbreak affecting the state and decided to change the timeline. Teams and preparations at the launch pad remain ready for the wet dress rehearsal.

However, adjusting the timeline for the test will position NASA for success during the rehearsal, as the expected weather this weekend would violate launch conditions.

While NASA will wait to set a launch date until teams have reviewed the outcome of the wet dress rehearsal, Friday, February 6, and Saturday, February 7, are no longer viable opportunities. Any additional delays would result in a day for day change.

The Artemis II crew remains in quarantine in Houston. Managers are assessing the timeline for crew arrival.

The opening of a simulated launch window during the wet dress rehearsal begins at 9 p.m. EST, February 2, with the countdown beginning approximately 49 hours prior. NASA will continue to assess weather conditions ahead of the test.

During the current cold weather, engineers have kept Orion powered and have configured its heaters for the colder temperatures. Purges, used to maintain proper environmental conditions for elements of the spacecraft and rocket, including the booster aft skirts, are also configured for the weather.

A 24/7 live stream of the rocket at the launch pad remains online. NASA will provide a separate feed planned to capture wet dress activities. The agency will also provide real-time blog updates regarding the test during fueling.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Cory S Huston

Getting Hyped Up for Humanity's Return to the Moon...

Earlier today, TIME magazine posted this online image of the cover to its February 9 issue...celebrating the impending launch of NASA's Artemis 2 mission to the Moon. This flight will be the first crewed lunar journey since Apollo 17 in December of 1972, and will take place almost 58 years after the very first astronauts orbited the lunar surface during the Apollo 8 mission in December of 1968.

I definitely can't wait to buy this issue when it arrives at magazine stands early next month! Though if you want to read this issue's article on Artemis 2, you can do so here.

Nation #61 Has Joined NASA's Moon Exploration Initiative...

NASA

NASA Welcomes Oman as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory (News Release)

The Sultanate of Oman signed the Artemis Accords during a ceremony in Muscat attended by NASA on Monday, becoming the 61st nation to commit to responsible space exploration for the benefit of all humanity.

“Oman’s accession to the Artemis Accords sets an important example about the value of responsible behavior and shared pursuit of discovery,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in recorded remarks during the ceremony. “Oman joins the U.S. and our other partners on ensuring the peaceful exploration of space for generations to come. We are returning humans to the Moon and laying the groundwork for future missions. A community of like-minded nations will be the foundation of our success.”

U.S. Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman Ana Escrogima and NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails participated in the event held on the opening day of the Middle East Space Conference, an international forum on space and innovation in the region. Said al-Maawali, Oman’s minister of transportation, communication, and information technology signed on behalf of the country.

In 2020, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies.

The accords introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety, transparency and coordination of civil space exploration on the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Signing the Artemis Accords means to explore peaceably and transparently, to render aid to those in need, to enable access to scientific data that all of humanity can learn from, to ensure activities do not interfere with those of others, to preserve historically-significant sites and artifacts, and to develop best practices for how to conduct space exploration activities for the benefit of all.

More countries are expected to sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead, as NASA continues its work to establish a safe, peaceful and prosperous future in space.

Source: NASA.Gov

The First Astronauts to Embark on a Lunar Flight Since 1972 Are in their Endgame for Launch Preparations...

NASA / Robert Markowitz

Artemis II Crew Enters Quarantine Ahead of Journey Around Moon (News Release)

The next astronauts to fly around the Moon went into quarantine late Friday.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will ensure that they don’t pick up any illness that could delay their mission by limiting their exposure to others in the days before they lift off. This period, called the health stabilization program, typically starts about 14 days before launch. Beginning quarantine now preserves flexibility as teams work towards potential opportunities in the February launch period.

At this time, the agency still has not set an official launch date as testing continues for the rocket and spacecraft. 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.

The crew will begin quarantine in Houston, and if testing continues to go well and activities progress towards a possible launch next month, they will fly to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida about six days ahead of launch. There, the Artemis II crew will live in the astronaut crew quarters inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, before launch day. During quarantine, the crew can continue regular contact with friends, family and colleagues who are able to observe quarantine guidelines, and will avoid public places, wear masks, and maintain distance from others that they come into contact with as they continue their final training activities.

Those training activities will continue in the days ahead with mission simulations and medical checkouts.

Meanwhile, teams at Kennedy continue to prepare the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, along with associated ground systems, ahead of launch. Teams have completed all checkouts of mechanical power systems, cryogenic propellant lines, and engines at Launch Complex 39B. On Saturday, January 24, the pad perimeter will be cleared of all non-essential personnel for SLS booster servicing planned to begin over the weekend.

The approximately 10-day Artemis II mission around the Moon is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign. It will help test the systems and hardware needed to continue sending astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to continue building towards the first crewed missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

The Latest Update on One of the Orbital Successors to the ISS...

Vast

Vast Advances Haven‑1 Into Integration Phase (News Release)

Vast, the company developing next-generation space stations, announced that integration has begun on Haven-1. Scheduled to be the world’s first commercial space station, Haven-1 is designed as a standalone, crewed station and serves as the first step for Haven-2, a multi-module station capable of supporting a continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit (LEO) that is Vast’s proposed successor to the International Space Station (ISS).

Haven-1 is an integral part of the company’s hardware-rich development approach that is putting flight-hardware and systems through rigorous ground and in-space testing to accelerate learning, reduce technical and schedule risk, and unlock new commercial and government capabilities in LEO. Haven-1 is designed to expand access to space and provide an affordable platform for microgravity research, manufacturing, and both national and international space infrastructure.

The first phase of Haven-1 integration includes installation of the station’s pressurized fluid systems, including thermal control, life support, and propulsion system tubes, and component trays and tanks. These systems will undergo pressure, leak and functional testing. The second phase of integration will incorporate avionics, guidance, navigation and control systems, and air revitalization hardware.

The third and final phase will complete the vehicle with crew habitation and interior closeouts, exterior micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) shielding, thermal radiator installation, and solar array integration, bringing Haven-1 to a fully flight-ready configuration. Vast remains focused on completing integration and conducting a suite of system environmental tests at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility later in 2026.

Based on the current integration timeline, Vast is updating its schedule for Haven-1 to be ready to launch Q1 2027. Haven-1 is contracted to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With each milestone, the team gains more data and greater certainty, enabling timelines to become progressively more precise.

Haven-1 represents a true zero-to-one development, and as Vast moves on to its second, third and subsequent stations, schedule precision will continue to improve as systems, processes, and integration maturity increases. Throughout this process, human safety remains the team’s top priority, with development and manufacturing pace carefully balanced to ensure mission integrity.

“From the beginning, our business plan has been about building a sustainable future in orbit, one that meets today’s market while creating the foundation for what comes next,” said Max Haot, CEO of Vast. “Haven-1 is not a concept; it is real, flight-tested hardware designed to carry forward a continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit for America and its allies. By vertically integrating design, manufacturing, testing and operations, we’re moving with both speed and autonomy. Haven-1 brings the next era of space stations within reach and helps ensure there is no gap in our ability to live and work in space beyond the ISS.”

Vast’s hardware-rich, stepping-stone approach accelerates development while improving safety and reducing cost by building, testing and flying systems early. This is reinforced by Vast’s vertically-integrated model, which has already delivered a 10X reduction in primary structure manufacturing costs compared to traditional space station programs, while increasing capability, improving schedule certainty, and shortening manufacturing timelines.

Haven-1 Development: Recap of 2025 Milestones

Throughout 2025, Vast completed a series of major Haven-1 milestones, advancing the station from component-level development to a fully-qualified flight structure.

In October, Vast installed and completed fit verification of the passive docking system on Haven-1, confirming mechanical alignment, and interface compatibility with visiting crewed spacecraft.

In late 2025, Vast conducted acceptance testing of the Haven-1 flight primary structure, culminating in full-scale pressure testing at Vast’s testing site in Mojave, California. The flight primary structure was pressurized beyond nominal operating conditions to validate structural margins, weld integrity, and leak performance, marking a critical step towards human-rated operations.

The Haven-1 primary structure represents the second primary structure that Vast has completed in one year and demonstrates the company’s leadership in returning space station manufacturing and testing to the United States after more than two decades.

Vast is now the only operational commercial space station company to have successfully flown and operated its own spacecraft in orbit. On November 2, 2025, Haven Demo, an in-orbit testbed for key space station technologies and the first step in our stepping stone approach, achieved mission success. Through Haven Demo, core systems, including power, avionics, ground systems, propulsion, and guidance, navigation and control, were validated in space, directly informing the final design of Haven-1.

Source: VastSpace.com

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Vast

A Momentous Milestone for the Second Flight of SLS Has Been Achieved...

NASA / Keegan Barber

NASA’s Moonbound Artemis II Rocket Reaches Launch Pad (News Release)

At 6:42 p.m. EST on Saturday, January 17, NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft reached Launch Complex 39B after a nearly 12-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Hours earlier, NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 began its 4-mile trek with the integrated SLS and Orion stacked on top. Moving at a maximum speed of just 0.82 mph, the crawler carried the towering Moon rocket and spacecraft slowly but surely toward the pad.

Once outside the VAB’s high-bay doors, the rocket made a planned pause allowing teams to reposition the crew access arm – a bridge that provides astronauts and a closeout crew access to Orion on launch day.

In the coming days, engineers and technicians will prepare the Artemis II rocket for the wet dress rehearsal, a test of fueling operations and countdown procedures. Targeted for no later than February 2, the team will load the rocket with cryogenic, or super-cold, propellants, run through the countdown, and practice safely draining the propellants from the rocket – all essential steps before the first crewed Artemis mission.

Additional wet dress rehearsals may be required to ensure that the vehicle is completely checked out and ready for flight. If needed, NASA may roll back SLS and Orion to the Vehicle Assembly Building for additional work ahead of launch after the wet dress rehearsal.

The Artemis II test flight will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon and back. It is another step towards new U.S.-crewed missions to the Moon’s surface, leading to a sustained presence on the Moon that will help the agency prepare to send the first astronauts – Americans – to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Reid Wiseman


NASA / Sam Lott


NASA


NASA / Keegan Barber


NASA


NASA / Keegan Barber


NASA / Aubrey Gemignani


NASA / Aubrey Gemignani


NASA / Keegan Barber


NASA / Keegan Barber


NASA / Aubrey Gemignani


NASA / Keegan Barber


NASA / Brandon Hancock

Crew-11 Has Safely Returned to Earth After a Shortened Stay at the ISS...

SpaceX

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 Dragon Splashdown at 3:41 a.m. EST (News Release)

At 3:41 a.m. EST, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California.

This completes a stay in space of 167 days for the four-person crew. The mission returned to Earth earlier than originally planned as teams monitored a medical concern with a crew member living and working aboard the orbital laboratory. The crew member is stable.

Teams aboard the recovery ship, including two fast boats, are securing the SpaceX Dragon and ensuring that the spacecraft is safe for the recovery effort. As the fast boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck with the astronauts inside. Once on the main deck, the crew will egress the spacecraft.

NASA previously announced that all four crew members will be transported to a local hospital for additional evaluation, taking advantage of medical resources on Earth to provide the best care possible.

Following a planned overnight hospital stay, the crew will return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they will reunite with their families and undergo standard post-flight reconditioning and evaluations. Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member.

NASA will host a post-splashdown media conference at 5:45 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime and the agency’s YouTube channel, with the following participants:

-- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
-- Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Bill Ingalls

A Huge Milestone for the Third SLS Booster Has Been Achieved...

NASA / Eric Bordelon

Artemis III Core Stage Major Join Complete (Photo Release - January 8)

Teams with Boeing – NASA’s Prime Contractor for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket – mate the forward and aft ends of the core stage for the agency’s Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on January 8, 2026. This operation secures four of the five major components of the core stage in place: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank and the liquid hydrogen tank.

The final component – the engine section – was structurally completed in 2022 and shipped to Kennedy Space Center for final assembly and integration. Now joined, teams will continue integrating critical systems and perform various checks and tests to ensure that the hardware is ready for shipment to Kennedy later this year.

The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Michael DeMocker


NASA / Eric Bordelon


NASA / Michael DeMocker

The Latest Step Is Taken to Prep for the Second SLS Rocket's Journey to LC-39B This Week...

NASA / Ben Smegelsky

Crawler Preps for Entry into VAB for Artemis II Rollout Ops (Photo Release - January 9)

NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 moves toward the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, January 9, 2026.

The crawler will transport NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft to Launch Complex 39B ahead of the Artemis II launch - which will journey Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Ben Smegelsky


NASA / Ben Smegelsky


NASA / Ben Smegelsky