NASA Starts Countdown to 2nd Wet Dress Rehearsal for Artemis Moon Mission

NASA’s administrator said work was already underway to redesign the leaky connection point and correct the problem on the rocket built for Artemis III.

The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, integrated for the Artemis II mission, are seen at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Feb. 1, 2026. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images

NASA has begun its second dress rehearsal for the launch of Artemis II’s highly anticipated manned flight around the moon.

Launch controllers reported to their stations around 6:40 p.m. ET on Feb. 17. Over the next 50 hours, they will put the behemoth moon rocket, also known as the Space Launch System, through nearly all of its pre-launch operations, proceeding all the way through their checklists to just 33 seconds remaining on the countdown clock.