NASA News

MEDIA ADVISORY M26-013

FEB. 18, 2026

MISSIONS

NASA to Provide Coverage of Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal

The Moon rises behind NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026.

The Moon rises behind NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 1, 2026. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

As NASA continues preparations for the Artemis II test flight, the agency will provide coverage Thursday, Feb. 19, of its next wet dress rehearsal, a fueling test of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, and hold a news conference on Friday, Feb. 20.


Teams are counting down to the opening of a simulated launch window at 8:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 19, and the test could extend to up to four hours.


At 11 a.m. on Feb. 20, agency leadership will participate in a news conference to provide details about the outcome of the rehearsal. NASA participants include:


  • Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate
  • John Honeycutt, chair, Artemis II Mission Management Team
  • Representative, Exploration Ground Systems


The agency will stream the news conference live on its YouTube channel. A 24/7 live stream of the rocket at the pad continues online, and NASA will provide a separate feed capturing wet dress activities and share real-time blog posts during the fueling day. Look for individual streams for these events to watch on YouTube. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.


This is the second wet dress rehearsal following a previous rehearsal that concluded Feb. 3.


Media previously credentialed for launch may join the news conference in person. To participate virtually, media should contact the newsroom at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no later than one hour prior to the beginning of the news conference at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.


As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, Artemis will pave the way for new U.S. crewed missions on the lunar surface in preparation to send the first astronauts to Mars.

To learn more about the Artemis campaign, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

-end-

Contact

Rachel Kraft / Jimi Russell

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-1600

rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Tiffany Fairley

Kennedy Space Center, Florida

321-747-8306

tiffany.l.fairley@nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration


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