Miami (USA), February 18 (EFE). – A possible liftoff date for Artemis II is March 6, NASA said Wednesday, and will depend on the results of a new general fuel test after the February launch window was delayed due to inconvenience during the first cold test.
The mission, which will mark the return of humans to the moon after more than half a century, will bring a woman, an African-American astronaut and a Canadian astronaut into lunar orbit for the first time.
The US space agency today also reported that the second cold tests (Wet Dress Rehearsal) of the Orion capsule and its powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which are already installed on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, began on Tuesday evening.
The earliest possible launch opportunity is Friday, March 6, NASA detailed, but clarified that no launch date has yet been set until the teams complete this important test and analyze the data.
This second rehearsal will last until Friday and aims to complete the complete sequence of operations for the launch of Artemis II, which will deliver four astronauts around the moon in about ten days.
The test includes loading cryogenic fuel into the SLS rocket tanks, performing a countdown, testing the ability to reset the countdown clock, and emptying the tanks to practice launch termination procedures.
These steps ensure that the team is fully prepared for launch day.
There will be scheduled breaks during the test to simulate real-world situations, including possible cancellations due to technical or weather issues.
Eventually, the fuel will be drained and all data will be reviewed before an official launch date is set.
Artemis II will be the first manned mission under the Artemis program, and will again fly humans around the Moon for the first time since 1972.
The mission commander will be accompanied by American astronaut Reid Wiseman, NASA specialists Christina Koch and Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
