Spaceflight NowWilliam Harwood

NASA starts 49‑hour countdown for Artemis II wet dress rehearsal ahead of crewed lunar flyby

On Jan. 31, 2026 NASA started a 49‑hour countdown at Kennedy Space Center for Artemis II's wet dress rehearsal — a final fueling and launch‑sequence test of the SLS/Orion ahead of the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17. Engineers powered up key systems and will run a simulated launch window.

2026-02-01T13:18:31.328192-08:00