NASA conducts successful rehearsal of Artemis 2 lunar launch
File photo shows Space Launch System (SLS), with the Orion crew capsule, stands at launch complex 39B as preprations continue for the Artemis 2 mission to the Moon at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Technical problems in early February cut short an earlier so-called wet dress rehearsal of the launch of the Artemis 2 mission.
But on Thursday (February 19, 2026), the U.S. space agency reported that things proceeded as planned, concluding at “T-29 seconds” in the countdown.
NASA is now expected to set a firm date for the mission. The agency said it would brief media on Friday (February 20, 2026).
The wet dress rehearsal is conducted under real conditions — with full rocket tanks and technical checks — at Cape Canaveral in Florida, with engineers practicing the maneuvers needed to carry out an actual launch.
The setback in February, which included a liquid hydrogen leak, dashed hopes of a lift-off this month, pushing the earliest possible launch date back to March 6.
The Artemis 2 mission will be the first crewed mission to fly past the Moon in more than 50 years, with three Americans and one Canadian taking part.
Published – February 20, 2026 09:59 am IST
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