Artemis 2 SLS wet dress rehearsal latest news: NASA preps for critical test ahead of astronaut launch to the moon

NASA beginning wet dress rehearsal operations Thursday evening

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.