NASA is planning for a second wet dress rehearsal for its Artemis II test flight on Thursday in preparation for a full launch as early as next month.

A test of NASA's towering Space Launch System rocket uncovered another issue with the vehicle meant to launch astronauts on a mission around the moon.

Before the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission launch into space, the crew must complete NASA's two-week Health Stabilization Program.

The next series of launch opportunities for the Artemis II mission begin March 3. If the mission doesn’t lift off in March, NASA will need to roll the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to refresh its flight termination system. There are more launch dates available in April and May.

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The Schroeder Family Exploreum in Joplin has partnered with NASA for an event tied to the upcoming Artemis II mission. The Exploreum also is looking to its own spring launch. Neely Myers, Exploreum

This is a step, if presently halting, toward future lunar missions and a long-term human presence on our companion world, one so important that even SpaceX is setting aside Mars for a greater focus on the moon and Blue Origin is setting aside suborbital space tourism for the same.

After the successful launch of the Crew-12 mission, all eyes are now focused on the next crewed rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast.