Artemis 2: Second SLS fueling test under countdown as NASA readies Moon mission

NASA is running Artemis 2’s second wet dress rehearsal for the Space Launch System at Kennedy Space Center, with a nearly 50-hour countdown in progress toward a simulated 8:30 p.m. ET launch on Feb. 19 as teams fuel the rocket with more than 700,000 pounds of LH2 and LOX; after hydrogen leaks disrupted the first test, engineers replaced faulty ground equipment and are using inert nitrogen to reduce fire risk while preparing Orion and the core stage for a crewed Moon mission targeted for early March.