NASA Delays Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal Due to Weather

Frigid temperatures force space agency to push back tanking operations and potential launch date.

Jan. 30, 2026 at 12:31pm

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NASA has delayed the wet dress rehearsal for its Artemis II mission due to frigid temperatures in the Cape Canaveral area. The tanking operation, which involves loading propellants into the fuel tank, has been pushed back to Monday with a potential launch date now set for February 8th at the earliest.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission is NASA's first crewed flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, a critical step towards reestablishing a human presence on the moon. Ensuring the proper conditions for the wet dress rehearsal is essential to the mission's success and safety.

The details

NASA was originally planning to begin the tanking operation on Saturday night in preparation for a possible February 6th or 7th launch date. However, the agency said those dates 'are no longer viable opportunities' due to the expected cold weather. Temperatures in the Cape Canaveral area are forecast to plummet to levels not seen since 1966, with lows between 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit expected on Sunday morning. The wet dress rehearsal cannot be conducted if temperatures drop below 40 degrees for more than 30 consecutive minutes.

  • NASA was originally planning to begin tanking operations on Saturday night.
  • The agency now expects to set Monday as the new tanking day.
  • The earliest possible launch date is now February 8th.

The players

NASA

The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the government agency responsible for the country's civilian space program, aeronautics, and space research.

Artemis II

NASA's first crewed mission aboard the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, which will travel around the moon and back to Earth as the crew tests the spacecraft's performance in deep space.

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What’s next

The Artemis II crew members, including Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, are expected to remain in quarantine in Houston as NASA prepares for the wet dress rehearsal and potential launch.

The takeaway

This weather-related delay highlights the complex logistical challenges NASA faces in preparing for the Artemis II mission, which is a critical step towards the agency's long-term goal of reestablishing a human presence on the moon and eventually sending astronauts to Mars.