Artemis 2 SLS wet dress rehearsal latest news: Moon rocket fueling test now set for Feb. 2

Friday, Jan. 30, 2026: Follow NASA's last major test of SLS before the launch of Artemis 2 and a crew of astronauts around the moon.

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NASA is just days away from its first chance to launch Artemis 2, the first astronaut mission to the moon since 1972, and will attempt a critical test for the lunar flight on Monday, Feb. 2.

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NASA delays Artemis 2 fueling test back to Feb. 2

An orange rocket with a white top stands against a dynamic sky.

(Image credit: Space.com / Josh Dinner)

Happy Friday, Space Fans! It is Jan. 30 and this morning, NASA pushed back its planned "wet dress rehearsal" test of the Artemis 2 moon rocket to no earlier than Feb. 2 (it's original date) due to freezing temperatures at its Launch Pad 39B pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Here's our latest update from writer Josh Dinner:

NASA delays critical Artemis 2 rocket fueling test due to below-freezing temperatures, launch no earlier than Feb. 8

Notice anything about that headline? If you said the launch date, you get a prize.

With the wet dress rehearsal, essentially a critical fueling test of the Artemis 2 Space Launch System moon rocket, now back on Feb. 2, NASA said in a statement that it can no longer target Feb. 6 or Feb. 7, the first two days of its launch window. The Artemis 2 launch window originally ran from Feb. 6 to Feb. 10.

NASA does have opportunities to launch the mission on Feb. 8, Feb. 10 and Feb. 11. A Feb. 8 launch would lift off at 11:20 p.m. ET (0429 GMT), NASA has said.

Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik

NASA beginning wet dress rehearsal operations Thursday evening

a futuristic looking room with hexagons on the ceiling

(Image credit: NASA/Rad Sinyak)

Artemis 2 mission operators at NASA are preparing the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for it's last critical test before launch.

The SLS wet dress rehearsal will simulate a mission countdown for ground teams to power on and fuel the rocket as a final qualifying check before Artemis 2 launches to the moon.

NASA is targeting a call to stations as early as 8:00 p.m. EST (2000 GMT) on Thursday (Jan. 29), about 49 hours before a simulated liftoff time on Saturday, at 9:00 p.m. EST (0200 GMT, Feb. 1).

If the test goes smoothly, NASA could choose to proceed toward the February launch window for Artemis 2, which opens Feb. 6-10.

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