NASA completes key fueling test for Artemis II Moon Mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —

NASA took another step toward returning astronauts to the moon, successfully completing a critical fueling test of its giant Space Launch System rocket late Thursday after earlier leaks disrupted a previous attempt.

For the second time this month, launch teams pumped more than 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of supercold propellant into the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket as it stood on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center.

Engineers counted down to the 30-second mark as planned without detecting any significant leaks. Teams then reset the clock to repeat the final 10 minutes of the countdown before concluding the two-day rehearsal. NASA declared the test complete late Thursday night.

The fueling demonstration marked the most complex and demanding portion of the practice countdown and is considered essential before setting a launch date for the Artemis II mission.

Two weeks earlier, the initial rehearsal was halted when hazardous levels of supercold liquid hydrogen leaked from connections between the launch pad and the rocket. Engineers replaced two seals and cleared a clogged filter in preparation for the second attempt.

NASA officials have said they will not announce a launch date for Artemis II until the fueling test is successfully completed. The outcome will help determine whether a March liftoff is feasible.

The earliest possible launch opportunity is March 6.

Artemis II will send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon and back, marking the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. The astronauts will not land on or orbit the moon but will conduct a flyby before returning to Earth.

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