Stop flows were triggered at 16% hydrogen concentration during fueling operations, and the team managed the issue through three contingencies.

Associate NASA administrator Amit Kshatriya prefers letting industry innovate on their own machines before making changes to the launch architecture.

Batteries for the flight termination system will expire if the SLS rocket does not launch in March.

The Artemis 2 crew includes Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch.

NASA observed several communications dropouts during the Artemis 2 wet dress rehearsal.

With about five minutes left in the countdown, the ground launch sequencer automatically stopped the countdown due to a spike in the liquid hydrogen leak rate.

The wet dress rehearsal aimed to fill both the SLS core stage and the interim cryogenic propulsion stage with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

Cold temperatures caused issues with cameras and other equipment during the wet dress rehearsal that would have required additional attention on launch day.

Engineers implemented a contingency procedure that paused fueling, warmed the quick-disconnect seal, and then resumed fueling when a leak occurred in the TSMU during Artemis 2’s wet dress rehearsal.

A valve associated with Orion crew module hatch pressurization required retorquing, which caused closeout operations to take longer than planned.

NASA conducted a 49-hour wet dress rehearsal fueling test of the Space Launch System for Artemis 2.

The four Artemis 2 astronauts were released from quarantine earlier on the day of the press conference.

Troubleshooting the liquid hydrogen leak involved stopping hydrogen flow into the core stage, allowing the interface to warm for seals to reset, and adjusting propellant flow.

The SLS core stage will be delivered to Kennedy Space Center within a few months.

Hydrogen concentrations were within limits during slow-fill phases but rose during fast-fill phases of SLS fueling.

Record cold temperatures in the U.S., including in Florida, caused a late start to tanking operations because some interfaces needed to be brought to acceptable temperatures before propellant loading.

The interface where hydrogen leaks often occurred is the tail service mast umbilical.

The European Commission hopes to achieve passage of EU Space Act Round 2 by the end of this year.

The European Commission expects to return the EU Space Act Round 2 draft to member state governments and the European Parliament this year.

The European Commission will provide a simpler, clearer draft of EU Space Act Round 2 by spring.

Space Intel Report published an article titled "EU Space Act Round 2: Commission promises simpler, clearer draft by spring, hopes for passage by year’s end".

Mengzhou is atop the CZ-10A low-altitude test stage.

An in-flight abort test of the Mengzhou spacecraft at maxQ is scheduled for February 2026.

Artemis 2 is undergoing preparations.

Artemis 2, Long March 10A with Mengzhou, and Starship V3 each have significant implications for lunar ambitions.

China’s Long March 10A rocket with the Mengzhou spacecraft is undergoing preparations.

Starship V3 is undergoing preparations.

The Long March 10A launch vehicle is vertical at a launch pad.

An in-flight abort test of the Mengzhou spacecraft is expected to occur soon.

The Long March 10 first stage recovery ship Ling Hang Zhe has its catch tower integrated and is at sea preparing for operations.

The marine platform to recover Long March 10, named 领航者 Ling Hang Zhe (Navigator), was delivered on November 30.

A catch attempt will not occur during the upcoming Mengzhou abort test.

An in-flight abort test for Mengzhou is expected to occur soon.

The Long March 10A first stage is fitted with grid fins and hooking arms.

Mengzhou is positioned on top of a Long March 10A first stage.

i-Space tested the landing legs for the Hyperbola-3 launch vehicle.

i-Space completed a series of tests using a full-scale Hyperbola-3 mock-up to validate the launch system at the Hainan commercial launch site.

i-Space is on track to be the first Chinese firm to attempt landing a rocket on a marine platform.

SpaceX teams are reviewing data to determine root cause and corrective actions before returning to flight.

The first two MVac burns on that Falcon 9 mission were nominal and deployed all 25 Starlink satellites to their intended orbit.

A Falcon 9 second-stage de-orbit anomaly occurred on the Starlink 9-3 mission in 2024 during the mission's primary phase.

Five Falcon 9 second-stage de-orbit problems occurred in 2020–2021 on Starlink missions L4, L12, L14, L17, and 2-1.

The Falcon 9 vehicle performed passivation of the second stage after the off-nominal condition.

The Falcon 9 second stage de-orbited in the wrong zone on the Dragon Crew-9 mission.

During a Falcon 9 launch of Starlink satellites, the Falcon 9 second stage experienced an off-nominal condition while preparing for the deorbit burn.

The Falcon 9 upper stage that re-entered over Poland in early 2025 was associated with the Starlink 15-4 mission.

Debris from the Starlink 15-4 case landed in Poland in February 2025.

The European Space Agency has issued a call for tender for a study examining the re-entry and breakup of the SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage over Poland in early 2025.

The European Space Agency will investigate similar possible re-entry and breakup cases in the future.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage re-entered and broke up over Poland in early 2025.