Dress rehearsal for Artemis 2 | Space photo of the day for June 19, 2025

A man stands on a metal dome in the middle of a sea.
An Artemis 2 crew member practices the emergency procedures for an abort mission scenario. (Image credit: NASA/Isaac Watson)

With the upcoming Artemis 2 mission slated for launch in April 2026, the crew members practice all scenarios, including the worst cases.

What is it?

Where is it?

The module was recovered off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center.

The Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) floats in Floridian waters (Image credit: NASA/Isaac Watson)

Why is it amazing?

The Artemis 2 mission is part of a decades long legacy in NASA's attempts to return to the moon. It will be the "first crewed mission on NASA's path to establishing a long-term presence at the moon, according to NASA.

Building on the work of the Artemis 1 mission, which launched in 2022, Artemis 2 will send four crew members aboard the Orion spacecraft around the moon for 10 days. During this time the crew will be able to test the spacecraft to all the systems operate to keep humans alive in the deep space environment.

Unfortunately, there are many things that can happen to stop the launch from happening, and the crew needs to be prepared for all scenarios. Working with the Department of Defense, along with NASA's flight control teams, the Artemis 2 crew members rehearse a launch pad abort scenario, using mannequins. While the mission is still several months away, running through all emergency procedures allows the team to be as prepared as possible for launch day.

Want to learn more?

You can read more about the Artemis 2 mission and returning to the moon as the project's launch date gets closer.

Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Content Manager at Space.com. Formerly, she was the Science Communicator at JILA, a physics research institute. Kenna is also a freelance science journalist. Her beats include quantum technology, AI, animal intelligence, corvids, and cephalopods.

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