CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA commenced a crucial two-day practice countdown on Saturday, gearing up for the fueling of its new moon rocket, a pivotal test that will dictate the launch timeline for the upcoming Artemis II mission, featuring a group of four astronauts embarking on a lunar flyby.
Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew are currently in quarantine to mitigate the risk of germ exposure. They are poised to be the first humans to launch towards the moon since 1972. The astronauts will monitor the rehearsal from their base in Houston before making their way to Kennedy Space Center once the rocket is deemed ready for flight.
The 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket was rolled out to the launch pad two weeks ago. Should the fueling test scheduled for Monday proceed smoothly, NASA might be able to initiate the launch attempt as early as a week later. Teams are set to load the rocket's tank with over 700,000 gallons of super-cooled fuel but will halt operations just thirty seconds before engine ignition.
A cold snap delayed the fueling demonstration and subsequent launch window by two days, pushing the earliest possible launch date to February 8.
During the mission, the team of U.S. and Canadian astronauts will travel around the moon aboard the Orion capsule, completing the flyby and returning without any stops until their splashdown in the Pacific. The total duration of the mission is expected to be nearly 10 days.
