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Spaceflight Now
• William Harwood
NASA starts 49‑hour countdown for Artemis II wet dress rehearsal ahead of crewed lunar flyby
On Jan. 31, 2026, Kennedy Space Center teams activated a 49‑hour countdown for the Artemis II “wet dress rehearsal,” a full launch‑countdown test that includes rocket power‑ups and fueling checks. The exercise is the final validation before four astronauts undertake the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 (1972).
