crewed spaceflight Archives

February 1, 2026

Critical Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal Underway At KSC

The countdown for the Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal is underway at Kennedy Space Center. Yesterday at 8:13 PM ET, or L-48:40 hours, the simulated countdown began in preparation for a test launch window opening at 9 PM tomorrow, February 2nd.

Artemis II will not launch during this countdown, of course, as it is just a test countdown. The Artemis II crew will not be aboard during Orion the WDR.

Sometime around 1 AM ET Tuesday, or February 3rd, the WDR will conclude.

What Comes After The WDR

After the test cycle concludes, engineers and mission managers will review data gathered during the Wet Dress Rehearsal. This process may take a few days as each major system is reviewed. Since Artemis I, NASA has implemented changes to the liquid Hydrogen systems at LC-39B. That will be a particular area of concern, as H2 leaks bedeviled the Artemis I countdowns both in WDR and later on the night it launched.

After the Data Review, a Flight Readiness Review can be held, during which all aspects of the mission are reviewed: the SLS rocket, the Orion spacecraft, ground systems at the Cape, and the status of the recovery teams that would be first responders to a major anomaly, should one occur, and many others.

The FRR is last major review for the flight, and in it, the Artemis II management team will need to give the mission permission to proceed towards a launch. Only after that milestone is achieved will a launch date and time be announced by NASA.

The Wet Dress Rehearsal In Detail

L-49 Hours, 15 Minutes and Counting
Time	Activity
L-49H 15M	Launch team arrives on stations; countdown begins
L-48H 40M	Countdown clock begins
L-48H 45M – L-39H 45M	LOX/LH2 system preparations for vehicle loading
L-47H 30M – L-38H 30M	Fill water tank for sound suppression system
L-40H 30M – L-39H	Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) powered up
L-39H 30M – L-38H 45M	Core stage powered up
L-38H 45M – L-34H 30M	Final preparations of four RS-25 engines

L-34 Hours, 30 Minutes and Counting
Time	Activity
L-33H 45M – L-33H 10M	ICPS powered down
L-32H 30M – L-28H 30M	Charge Orion flight batteries to 100%
L-30H 30M – L-23H 30M	Charge core stage flight batteries
L-19H 30M – L-16H	Orion crew suit regulator leak checks
L-19H 15M – L-17H 45M	ICPS powered up for launch

L-15 Hours and Counting
Time	Activity
L-14H 30M – L-13H	All non-essential personnel leave Launch Complex 39B
L-13H 15M – L-11H 05M	Air-to-GN2 changeover and vehicle cavity inerting
L-12H 45M – L-11H 15M	Ground Launch Sequencer (GLS) activation

L-11 Hours, 40 Minutes and Counting
Time	Activity
L-11H 35M – L-9H 20M	Built-in hold: 2 hours, 15 minutes
L-11H 40M – L-10H 30M	Weather and tanking briefing
L-10H 20M	Go/No-Go decision to begin tanking
L-10H 20M – L-9H	Orion cold soak
L-10H 10M – L-9H 50M	Core stage LOX transfer line chilldown
L-10H 10M – L-9H 25M	Core stage LH2 chilldown

L-10 Hours and Counting
Time	Activity
L-9H 50M – L-9H 10M	Core stage LOX main propulsion system chilldown
L-9H 25M – L-9H	Core stage LH2 slow fill start
L-9H 20M	Resume T-Clock from T-8H 10M
L-9H 10M – L-8H 55M	Core stage LOX slow fill
L-9H – L-7H 40M	Core stage LH2 fast fill
L-8H 55M – L-6H 10M	Core stage LOX fast fill
L-8H 45M – L-8H 10M	ICPS LH2 chilldown
L-8H 10M – L-7H 25M	ICPS LH2 fast fill start
L-7H 45M – L-6H	ICPS LOX main propulsion system chilldown
L-7H 40M – L-7H 30M	Core stage LH2 topping
L-7H 30M – terminal	Core stage LH2 replenish
L-7H 25M – L-7H 05M	ICPS LH2 vent and relief test
L-7H 05M – L-6H 55M	ICPS LH2 tank topping start
L-6H 50M – terminal	ICPS LH2 replenish
L-6H 10M – L-5H 40M	Orion communications system activated (RF to Mission Control)
L-6H 10M – L-5H 40M	Core stage LOX topping

L-6 Hours and Counting
Time	Activity
L-6H – L-5H 15M	ICPS LOX fast fill
L-5H 40M – terminal	Core stage LOX replenish
L-5H 40M	Stage pad rescue; closeout crew assemble
L-5H 15M – L-5H	ICPS LOX vent and relief test
L-5H – L-4H 40M	ICPS LOX topping
L-4H 40M – terminal	ICPS LOX replenish; all stages replenish
L-4H 40M	Built-in hold: 40 minutes
L-4H 40M – L-4H 25M	Closeout crew to white room
L-4H 30M – L-4H 20M	Crew Module hatch preps and closure
L-4H 20M – L-3H 20M	Counterbalance mechanism hatch seal/press decay checks
L-3H 20M – L-2H 40M	Crew Module hatch service panel install/closeouts
L-2H 40M – L-2H 20M	Launch Abort System (LAS) hatch closure for flight
L-1H 45M – L-1H 40M	Closeout crew departs Launch Complex 39B
L-1H 10M	Launch Director brief – Flight vehicle/TPS scan results with CICE

L-40 Minutes and Holding
Time	Activity
L-40M	Built-in hold: 30 minutes

L-25 Minutes and Holding
Time	Activity
L-25M	Transition team to Orion-to-Earth comm loop following final NTD briefing
L-16M	Launch Director polls team for “Go” for launch

T-10 Minutes – Terminal Count
Time	Activity
T-10M	Ground Launch Sequencer (GLS) initiates terminal count
T-8M	Crew Access Arm retract
T-6M	GLS go for core stage tank pressurization; Orion set to internal power
T-5M 57S	Core stage LH2 terminate replenish
T-4M	GLS go for core stage APU start; APU starts; Core stage LOX terminate replenish
T-3M 30S	ICPS LOX terminate replenish
T-3M 10S	GLS go for purge sequence 4
T-2M 02S	ICPS switches to internal battery power
T-2M	Booster switches to internal battery power
T-1M 30S	Core stage switches to internal power; hold for 3-minute certification hold time verification
T-1M 20S	ICPS enters terminal countdown mode
T-50S	ICPS LH2 terminate replenish
T-33S	GLS sends “Go for Automated Launch Sequencer” command; GLS Cutoff/Recycle

Terminal Count Hold Rules:

Teams can hold at T-6M for the duration of the launch window (minus 6 minutes) without recycling.
Between T-6M and T-1M 30S: holds up to 3 minutes can resume; longer holds recycle to T-10M.
After T-1M 30S but before automated sequencer: recycle to T-10M if window permits.
After automated sequencer handover: any stop concludes the launch attempt for that day.

Source: Countdown Begins for Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal, NASA, January 31, 2026.

January 29, 2026

Crew-12 Enters Prelaunch Quarantine, Launch Windows Announced

Crew 9 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 on September 28, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

The three astronauts and one cosmonaut on NASA’s Crew 12 flight to the International Space Station have entered quarantine in preparation for their upcoming launch in about two weeks. This is a normal step in the launch campaign, and is designed to reduce the chances of communicable diseases affecting the Crew 12 flyers as well as others already aboard ISS.

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will remain in Houston until February 6th, when they are expected to fly to Kennedy Space Center for final launch preparations.

Launch Windows

NASA has also announced launch windows for Crew 12:

Crew-12 Launch Windows

SpaceX Crew-12 Launch Windows
Mission	NASA/SpaceX Crew-12
Destination	International Space Station
Launch Site	SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Window 1	Feb. 11 — 6:00 a.m. EST
Window 2	Feb. 12 — 5:38 a.m. EST
Window 3	Feb. 13 — 5:15 a.m. EST
Note	NASA continues working toward potential launch windows for both Artemis II and Crew-12 in February. Final launch dates will be determined closer to flight.

The launch will be the second crewed flight from SLC-40. Crew 9, carrying Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov, lifted off from the site on September 28, 2024, marking the second crewed launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station since Apollo 7 launched from LC-34. The ill-fated Boeing Crewed Flight Test (CFT) aboard Starliner was the first. The two CFT astronauts already aboard ISS, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, became part of Crew 9 once it was at ISS.

January 17, 2026

Artemis II Begins Its Trek To The Launch Pad

SLS began its slow and deliberate journey to Launch Pad 39B from the Vehical Assembly Building (VAB) early Saturday morning at Kennedy Space Center, marking a major milestone in the agency’s quest to return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in more than half a century.

The 322-foot-tall rocket emerged from the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building at 7:04 a.m. EST, carried atop Crawler-Transporter 2 for the four-mile trek to the historic launch complex. The combined stack — rocket, Orion capsule, and mobile launcher — weighs approximately 11 million pounds and is traveling at a top speed of just under one mile per hour, with the journey expected to take between eight and twelve hours. At the time of this writing, that journey is still underway and should conclude late this afternoon or early this evening.

Hundreds of space center workers, family members, and guests gathered along the crawlerway to witness the spectacle as the towering white rocket inched past against a clear Florida sky. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and the four Artemis II astronauts were on hand to mark the occasion.

“Wow. LETS GO!!!” Commander Reid Wiseman posted on X alongside a photo of the rocket moving out of the VAB. In a subsequent post, he called the SLS and Orion “engineering art.”

Wow. LETS GO!!! pic.twitter.com/xozFfnJI8c
— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) January 17, 2026

Once the rocket reaches Launch Pad 39B, teams will immediately begin connecting ground support equipment, including electrical lines, environmental control system ducts, and cryogenic propellant feeds. Engineers will then power up the integrated systems for the first time to verify everything functions properly with the mobile launcher and pad infrastructure.

A wet dress rehearsal is scheduled for late January or early February. During this critical test, ground crews will load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the rocket’s tanks and conduct multiple countdown sequences, including several holds and recycles in the final minutes to validate launch procedures.

Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said a February launch remains possible but emphasized that the timeline depends on the outcome of upcoming testing. “We need to get through wet dress,” she said during a pre-rollout briefing yesterday.

NASA’s launch window opens February 6, with additional opportunities on February 7, 8, 10, and 11. Due to the orbital mechanics governing the mission’s trajectory to the Moon, only about one week of launch opportunities exists each month, followed by roughly three weeks without viable windows.

January 10, 2026

NASA Official Releases Artemis II Launch Windows, Targets Window 17 For Crewed Moon Mission

Artemis II in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Photo: NASA

NASA has published its launch window availability for Artemis II, the agency’s first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years, with opportunities spanning February through April 2026. The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are scheduled to roll out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B NET January 17th.

The four-mile journey aboard Crawler-Transporter 2 will take up to 12 hours before the integrated launch structure and rocket arrive at their final destination.

After Artemis II is rolled out to LC39B, engineers and technicians will start pad integration tasks, including connecting essential ground support equipment such as electrical lines, environmental control system ducts, and cryogenic propellant feeds. After those tasks are successfully completed, teams will then power up all integrated systems for the first time at the pad.

All windows are 120 minutes, except for March 11th, which offers a slightly shorter 115-minute window.

Lighting Constraints Drive Window Selection

The published windows reflect careful consideration of lighting conditions, so that Orion is not in darkness for more than 90 minutes at a time post-launch, therefore allowing its solar arrays to keep generating power and the spacecraft to stay within its thermal limits. Dates that would put Orion into extended eclipses are removed from consideration.

Another consideration is that the launch window constraints ensure optimal conditions for tracking cameras and abort scenarios during the critical ascent phase.

NASA notes all dates remain subject to adjustments as the mission progresses through final preparations.

First Launch Opportunities Open February 6

The earliest available launch window opens on February 6, 2026, at 9:41 pm ET, with a 2-hour window. Launch opportunities continue through February 11th, followed by a brief gap, then resume mid-month. Each window in the February series shifts progressively later into the night, with the final February opportunity on the 11th occurring at 1:05 AM EST.

Should weather or technical issues prevent a February launch, NASA has identified windows throughout March and April. The March series begins on the 6th at 8:29 PM ET, while April windows open as early as 6:24 PM ET on April 1st—notably the only daytime launch opportunity in the released schedule, occurring approximately 1.3 hours before sunset.

January 22, 2025

Joint Task Force Unites to Train for Astronaut Search and Rescue Operations

Maj. David Reifenberg, combat rescue officer drop zone controller, 308th Rescue Squadron, Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, free falls from a Joint Base Charleston C-17 Globemaster III, while Senoir Master Sgt. George Reed, paraescueman, 308 RQS prepares to jump, during a Human Space Flight Support airdop search and rescue exercise Jan 15, 2025, Patrick SFB, Fla. A joint task force of the 204th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickum, Hawaii, and 315th Airlift Wing, JB Charleston, South Carolina, trained on HSFS to retrieve astronauts from open-ocean waters upon returning to Earth. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Della Creech)

A combined team of Guardsmen and Reservists tackled air, sea, and space operations during Human Space Flight Support (HSFS) training, focused on astronaut recovery through search and rescue operations, held from Jan. 14-17 at Patrick Space Force Base in Florida. The end goal was to prepare a greater roster of SARS personnel for an increasing number of crewed missions.

Note: this article uses quotes and information from a public affairs article originally written by Tech. Sgt. Della Creech of the 315th Airlift Wing.

The training brought together Air National Guardsmen from the 204th Airlift Squadron based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, with Reservists from the 315th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, and the 308th Rescue Squadron at Patrick Space Force Base. This joint effort aimed to refine the airdrop techniques required to recover astronauts safely from open-ocean splashdowns following space missions.

Staff Sgt. Nainoa Lehua, Human Space Flight Support airdrop loadmaster, 204th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and Chief Master Sgt. Drew Cheek, HSFS airdrop evaluating loadmaster, 701st Airlift Squadron, prepare to airdrop Mark-25 flares during HSFS airdrop search and rescue training Jan 16, 2025, Patrick Space Force Base, Florida. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Della Creech)

Expanding Need

“The space industry has seen tremendous growth since 2020, when Joint Base Hickam first took on this mission,” explained Maj. Ryan Schieber, Human Space Flight Support lead planner for the 315th Operations Support Squadron. “With the rise in SpaceX launches, Boeing Starliner missions, and the upcoming Artemis program in 2026, this training is more critical than ever.”

As the space sector grows, astronaut recovery missions have increased to at least three or four annually, with the promise of an even higher cadence of crewed missions. This uptick prompted the 204th Airlift Squadron to form a joint task force with the 308th Rescue Squadron under the 920th Rescue Wing. The 920th RW, the only Air Force Reserve Command wing dedicated to combat search and rescue, collaborates with the 315th AW to certify aircrews for HSFS airdrops.

Expanding The Roster Of Qualified Rescue Airmen

“Our goal is to certify the Charleston Reserve pilots, loadmasters, and aircrew for this mission,” said Master Sgt. Makaio Roberts, deputy program manager for the 204th AS HSFS team. “They’re vital partners alongside the 308th Rescue Squadron as we support NASA, SpaceX, Boeing, and the Artemis missions with launches and recoveries.”

In 2025, the 315th AW officially partnered with the 204th AS to gain HSFS airdrop certification. These training exercises enhance efficiency and preparedness for the multi-capable Airmen who participate.

About The Training

“This training involves realistic offshore airdrops of personnel and equipment, simulating the recovery of isolated individuals in maritime environments,” said Capt. Nicolas Walsh, a combat rescue officer and drop zone controller with the 308th RQS.

During 7.5 hours of flight time, the joint task force completed 10 airdrops, including 30 pararescuemen jumps in challenging winter seas. Despite the limited timeframe, the experienced aircrews and maintenance teams made the most of the opportunity, ensuring high levels of readiness.

“The equipment we drop and the rescue qualifications we practice are essential to ensuring astronauts can be safely recovered during splashdowns,” Roberts emphasized. “This training directly supports real-world launches and recoveries for the HSFS program.”

Participating in HSFS training provides C-17 aircrews with a unique mission experience, broadening their operational skill set. Working alongside the 204th AS and 308th RQS helps develop Airmen into versatile, mission-ready professionals.

“This mission is distinct for the C-17,” Schieber said. “It exposes the aircrews to a specialized rescue airdrop role, enhancing their readiness for future challenges.”

As the pace of space exploration accelerates, the demand for search and rescue operations is expected to grow, a challenge the joint task force is ready to meet. “Space travel is increasing, and we’re prepared to respond,” Schieber added.

August 5, 2024

Axiom Space Announces Ax-4 Crew, Peggy Whitson Will Be Commander

Axiom 3 at LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. The Ax-4 crew will fly aboard a similar spacecraft.
Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville

Axiom Space announced the crew for its planned Axiom 4 mission today. The company’s release stated that it is partnering with India, through the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Poland, with European Space Agency (ESA) support, and Hungary to send three national astronauts to the space station on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), the company’s next commercial human spaceflight mission to the orbiting laboratory.

Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański of ESA/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary will make up the crew for the flight, Axiom said.

“Ax-4 represents Axiom Space’s continued efforts to build opportunity for countries to research, innovate, test, and engage with people around the world while in low-Earth orbit,” said Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space.

Suffredini added that, “This mission broadens horizons for nations with ambitious goals of advancing scientific, technological, and economic pursuits. Our collaboration with ESA for a second time and the inclusion of Hungary and India underscores Axiom Space’s ability to cultivate global partners, expand the scope of exploration, and open up new avenues to grow a global space economy.”

Peggy Whitson

Dr. Peggy Whitson (Rice University, 1986) is one of the most experienced astronauts in spaceflight history, having already completed four previous spaceflights. She has spent more than 675 days in space and has flown on the Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and Crew Dragon on previous flights.

Her 289-day flight was the longest single space flight by a woman until Christina Koch’s 328-day flight eclipsed her record. Dr. Whitson is also oldest woman spacewalker ever and holds the record for the most spacewalks by a woman. She has conducted ten EVAs during her career, totalling over sixty hours outside in the darkness of space.

Dr. Whitson is 64 years old, and hails from Beaconsfield, Iowa. Axiom 4 will be her fifth spaceflight.

“I look forward to commanding my second commercial human spaceflight mission with Axiom Space,” said Peggy Whitson, Ax-4 commander. “With a culturally diverse crew, we are not only advancing scientific knowledge but also fostering international collaboration. Our previous missions set the stage. Axiom Mission 1 was the first all-private mission to the space station, Axiom Mission 2 launched the first Saudi female to space, and Axiom Mission 3 included both the first Turkish astronaut and first ESA astronaut to fly on a commercial space mission. Now, with Ax-4, we ascend even higher, bringing even more nations to low-Earth orbit and expanding humanity’s reach among the stars.”

Shubhanshu Shukla

Born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, on October 10, 1985, wing commander Shubhanshu Shukla is an alumnus of India’s National Defence Agency, a joint-forces training academy for the Indian military.

Shukla was commissioned on June 17, 2006 in the Indian Air Force. He is a Fighter Combat Leader and a Test Pilot with approximately 2000 hours of flying experience.

Shukla will be India’s second gaganyatri – the Indian term for astronaut – in space. Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma was aboard the Indo-Soviet crewed mission in 1984, making him the first from his country to go space. This will be ISRO’s first crewmember to fly on an American flight destined for the International Space Station.

ISRO is also independently working on advanced development of crewed flight capability. ISRO’s Human Rated Launch Vehicle (or Gaganyaan) is an ongoing program developing the technology needed to launch crewed orbital spacecraft into low Earth orbit. Gaganyaan is ostensibly near its first of two uncrewed test flights, as the first flight’s latest projected launch is sometime this year. ISRO hopes to launch its first crew in 2025.

Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla have been named for India’s first crewed flight of Gaganyaan, and undoubtedly, Shubhanshu Shukla’s training, flight experience and lessons learned from flying Crew Dragon on Axiom 4 will be of great aid to ISRO’s efforts to bring the Gaganyaan program to full fruition with a successful first mission.

Sławosz Uznański

Born in Łódź, Poland in 1984, Dr. Sławosz Uznański is a Polish engineer working at the European Space Agency (ESA) as a project astronaut since 2023. He was formerly at The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN.)

In 2011, Uznański received a doctor’s degree with distinction from the University of the Mediterranean Aix-Marseille II for thesis on radiation-tolerant designs for space applications.

He will be the second Pole to space, following Mirosław Hermaszewski in 1978. Hermaszewski flew on the Soviet Soyuz 30 spacecraft, and spent nearly eight days in Earth orbit.

Tibor Kapu

Tibor Kapu is a 32-year-old engineer who graduated from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in his native Hungary.

He has worked in the pharmaceutical industry on batteries for hybrid cars and radiation protection for astronauts. For the last two years, he has worked on space radiation protection at Remred Space Technologies in the space industry. As a parachutist, he has 38 jumps under his harness.

Kapu will be the second Hungarian astronaut, and like Shubhanshu Shukla, he will be the first from his country to fly on an American spacecraft to ISS. Forty-four years ago, Bertalan Farkas became the first Hungarian astronaut. Farkas flew Soyuz 36 and docked for over 26 days at the Soviet Salyut-6 space station.

Astronauts In Training

The Axiom 4 crew have arrived in Houston, according to Axiom Space, and will now begin training for their flight, slated for NET October 2024. They will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon from Florida. Peggy Whitson will lead the training.

Axiom 3 liftoff in January 2024. The Ax-4 crew will fly a similar spacecraft NET October 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville