Overview
- The nearly 50-hour countdown begins the evening of Feb. 17 ahead of a simulated 8:30 p.m. ET launch window on Feb. 19 at Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39B.
- Teams replaced two Tail Service Mast Umbilical seals after WDR-1 leaks, then changed a ground-support filter that had restricted liquid hydrogen flow during a Feb. 12 partial fueling.
- NASA reports the confidence test showed materially lower leak rates, and the next run will load more than 700,000 gallons of propellant, conduct terminal-count recycles to T‑1:30 and T‑33 seconds, and then drain the tanks.
- An official launch date will follow data reviews, with March 6 treated as the earliest possible opportunity if the rehearsal meets objectives and readiness milestones.
- Astronauts will not be on the pad as ground crews practice Orion closeout and hatch procedures, with NASA providing live coverage and blog updates during fueling.