Nasa targets early March to send humans back around the Moon

Nasa sets the launch date following a successful "wet dress rehearsal" of the Artemis II mission.

NASA is targeting March 6, 2026, for the Artemis II mission, which will be the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. This follows a successful second rocket fueling test after initial setbacks from hydrogen leaks earlier in the month.

NASA has initiated another practice launch countdown at Cape Canaveral for Artemis II, its first crewed moon mission in decades, after addressing fuel leaks that delayed the mission to March. The previous fueling test was halted due to hazardous liquid hydrogen leaks.

NASA is preparing for a second wet dress rehearsal of its Artemis 2 mission on February 19, involving the fueling of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with over 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. This test follows a previous attempt on January 31, which was halted due to an LH2 leak.

NASA is preparing for a second attempt at the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal on February 19, following technical issues during the initial test earlier this month. The rehearsal involves fueling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and simulating a launch in preparation for a historic manned lunar mission.

NASA is targeting no earlier than Friday, March 6, for the launch of Artemis II, pending completion of required work at the launch pad, analysis of test data, and the outcome of a Flight Readiness Review in the coming days. The four astronauts set to fly around the Moon during the test flight entered quarantine at approximately 5 p.m. CST Friday in Houston.