Artemis II astronauts remain in quarantine before launch to reduce exposure to pathogens.
Some biomedical experiment packages on Artemis II will report metrics in real time while others will be analyzed post-flight.
The earliest possible Artemis II launch dates are February 8, February 10, and February 11, each with five-hour windows.
Many Artemis II experiment packages are miniaturized versions of instruments previously flown on the International Space Station.
A successful wet dress rehearsal would clear NASA to launch Artemis II to fly four astronauts around the Moon and back.
If the wet dress rehearsal identifies issues that require fixes, the next available Artemis II launch dates are in March and April.
Artemis II astronauts have been trained to stabilize the Orion capsule after splashdown, exit it, board a raft, and use the OCSS survival kit if necessary.
NASA changed Orion’s reentry profile for Artemis II to manage heat buildup during reentry.
NASA is conducting a wet dress rehearsal with cryogenic propellants to verify launch procedures for Artemis II.
Artemis II will include a wristband and multiple miniaturized experiment packages for astronauts to monitor physiological patterns.
Orion on Artemis II will carry more radiation sensors than were carried on Artemis I.
NASA rescheduled the wet dress rehearsal, the prelaunch test for the crewed lunar flyby mission Artemis II.
Fueling and countdown simulations for Artemis II at Kennedy Space Center in Florida were moved from January 31 to February 2 due to an unusual cold snap at the launch site.
The four crewmembers assigned to Artemis II entered quarantine in Houston and are undergoing health monitoring and predeparture preparations.
The rescheduling eliminated the February 6 and 7 launch opportunities for Artemis II and pushed the next viable launch date to February 8 or later.
The Artemis II wet dress rehearsal will load more than approximately 2.65 million liters of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the rocket.
The Artemis II wet dress rehearsal will simulate the final 10-minute countdown multiple times, including planned holds and restarts, to verify rocket and ground team procedures.
Network planners intend for Artemis II to demonstrate interoperability between traditional radio systems and new optical links.
A possible sequence of major near-term lunar milestones is: 2026 crewed lunar flyby (Artemis II), 2027–2029 U.S. crewed lunar landing attempts (Artemis III), and 2030 China crewed lunar landing.
The slip in Artemis II's schedule narrowed available launch opportunities in February to three days.