NASA: Manned lunar mission launch scheduled for March 6

On February 20th, local time, NASA officials announced that after completing a critical rocket rehearsal, NASA plans to launch the Artemis II crewed lunar flyby mission on March 6th. However, NASA also cautioned that remaining task preparations could still delay the launch.

On the 19th, NASA fueled the next-generation lunar landing rocket, the Space Launch System, for the Artemis II crewed lunar flyby mission. The launch team loaded approximately 2.6 million liters of cryogenic propellants—liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen—into the 98-meter-tall rocket standing on the launch pad. The team simulated the launch timing, conducted a countdown, which was halted half a minute before ignition as planned, with no significant leaks reported during the process. The clock was then reset, and the team rehearsed the final 10 minutes of the countdown. NASA announced late that night that the test was complete.

The Orion spacecraft and the lunar rocket used for the Artemis II crewed lunar flyby are both performing their first crewed missions. After this mission, NASA will proceed with the Artemis III crewed lunar landing mission—though the lunar lander required for that mission is still under development.

(Source: CCTV News)