NASA's Artemis II Countdown: Preparing for Historic Lunar Mission

Sun Feb 01 2026 08:23:06 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

NASA kicks off a two-day practice countdown for the Artemis II moon mission, marking the first lunar flight with astronauts in over 50 years. The mission will see astronauts Reid Wiseman and his crew embark on a nearly 10-day journey around the moon, contingent on successful fueling tests at Kennedy Space Center.

NASA has initiated a key countdown practice in preparation for the Artemis II mission, which aims to send astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972. The crew, including Commander Reid Wiseman, will oversee the countdown remotely before launching from Kennedy Space Center. If the fueling test proceeds as planned, a launch could occur as early as February 8. The mission entails a lunar flyby and a return to Earth, marking a significant milestone in NASA's efforts to return humans to the moon.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA commenced a two-day practice countdown on Saturday in preparation for the fueling of its new moon rocket, a critical test that will dictate when four astronauts will embark on a lunar flyby.

Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew are already quarantined to prevent exposure to germs and will be the first humans to fly to the moon since the Apollo program in 1972. They will monitor the dress rehearsal from their base in Houston before heading to Kennedy Space Center once the rocket receives the green light for flight.

The towering 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket, which was moved to the launch pad two weeks ago, is set to be fueled with over 700,000 gallons of super-cold propellant. The countdown will culminate just short of a fully ignited launch, with Monday's fueling test being a significant factor in determining the timing of the launch, potentially as early as a week from now.

A cold snap previously postponed the fueling demonstration, also affecting the planned launch timeline. The earliest opportunity for liftoff is now pegged for February 8.

Onboard the Orion capsule situated atop the rocket, the American and Canadian astronauts will circle around the moon and return directly back to Earth without any stops, in a mission that is expected to last approximately 10 days.

Since the conclusion of the Apollo program, which sent 24 astronauts to the moon, of whom 12 walked on its surface, the Artemis II mission signifies a new chapter in lunar exploration for NASA.