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4d ago

Cold Weather Pressures Artemis II Schedule as NASA Targets Jan. 31 Wet Dress Rehearsal

NASA's next steps rest on a full fueling test that cannot begin if pad temperatures fall below roughly 41 degrees Fahrenheit.

© NASA/Keegan Barber
The crew of Artemis II (from left: Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Pilot Victor Glover and Commander Reid Wiseman) answer questions at a press conference as their Space Launch System rocket is transported to Pad 39B January 17, 2026. Artemis II is tentatively scheduled to launch on a mission to th Moon in early February. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
NASA's Moon astronauts will be using a new spacesuit to explore the lunar surface. Unfortunately, experts say, it has problems.
The Artemis II crew poses in front of an Orion simulator Jan. 23, 2026 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Overview

  • The SLS–Orion stack is secured at Pad 39B with booster servicing complete and environmental controls prepared for unseasonably low temperatures.
  • Forecast lows in the 20s and 30s could breach the agency’s 41.4°F tanking threshold measured at two pad heights, risking a slip to later test dates.
  • The wet dress rehearsal will load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant and practice terminal-count operations to about T-30 seconds before safing and drain-back.
  • Pending successful wet dress results and a Flight Readiness Review, NASA could aim for launch opportunities on Feb. 6–8 and Feb. 10–11, with additional windows in March and April.
  • Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen remain in health-stabilization quarantine as mission and flight control teams finalize training.