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Launch Ops #launch-ops · USA/NASA February 19, 2026

NASA's Artemis II Clears Critical Test After Hydrogen Fix

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Rocket launch with plume of smoke
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NASA's Artemis II Clears Critical Test After Hydrogen Fix

NASA Fixes Hydrogen Flow Problem, Reboots Artemis II Rehearsal

NASA's ground teams have identified and repaired a critical blockage in the propellant loading system that hindered last week's wet dress rehearsal of the Artemis II rocket. On February 12th, a suspected clogged filter in the ground support equipment restricted liquid hydrogen flow into the Space Launch System's Core Stage during the critical test. Engineers have since replaced the component, clearing the path for a second full-scale rehearsal scheduled for Thursday, February 19th.

The discovery underscores why NASA conducts these meticulous dress rehearsals before human crews board the vehicle. Every anomaly caught on the ground is one that won't surprise launch controllers when actual astronauts are on the pad.

The Road Back to the Moon Runs Through Florida

Artemis II represents the linchpin in NASA's broader lunar architecture. This uncrewed circumlunar mission will validate every system the agency needs to land humans on the Moon for the first time in over six decades—a feat that has eluded all spacefaring nations despite intense geopolitical competition.

The timing carries weight beyond engineering. NASA has spent recent years battling budget constraints, program cancellations, and workforce reductions, weakening its position as international rivals—particularly China—demonstrate increasingly ambitious capabilities. A successful Artemis II launch would signal that America's space program remains the gold standard for complex, crewed-capable missions.

The agency's target window opens in early March, with March 6th identified as the earliest viable launch date. This timeline accounts for the second rehearsal, data analysis, and the logistical lift of moving the fully fueled 322-foot SLS from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad 39B.

Inside the Rehearsal: What NASA Will Test

The February 19th simulation represents the most comprehensive operational test to date. Starting at 6:40 p.m. EST on February 18th, launch teams will begin an almost 50-hour countdown sequence. At 8:30 p.m. EST on the 19th, controllers will execute two complete terminal-count sequences—the final ten minutes before launch.

Here's the critical part: the team will pause at T-1:30 and again at T-33 seconds, then recycle the countdown clock back to T-10 minutes and run through the sequence again. This mirrors what actually happens during real launches when weather, technical issues, or other factors force a delay or scrub. For a program that hasn't flown crewed lunar missions in 53 years, this institutional muscle memory matters.

The rehearsal will also exercise cryogenic loading procedures—precisely the operation where last week's filter issue surfaced. Ground crews must load 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 240,000 gallons of liquid oxygen into the SLS while managing temperatures near absolute zero and avoiding any venting or leaks that could compromise performance.

What Comes Next

Assuming the February 19th rehearsal meets expectations, NASA will formally target March for launch. A successful Artemis II mission accomplishes two things simultaneously: it validates the hardware and procedures for future crewed lunar landings, and it delivers a geopolitical message that American spaceflight capability remains unmatched. The entire test, including the second rehearsal, will be streamed live via NASA's Artemis blog with extended camera coverage.

The margin for error at this point is thin, but NASA's ground teams have demonstrated they're catching problems before they become disasters.

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Think of it like...

The liquid hydrogen filter replacement is equivalent to swapping out a clogged fuel injector in a car engine—a small component fix with outsized impact on performance. The SLS core stage will consume approximately 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen during launch, roughly equivalent to filling 815 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Related Entities

NASA·agency
Space Launch System (SLS)·vehicle
Orion·vehicle
Artemis II·vehicle
Kennedy Space Center·facility
Matt Williams·person
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Space Weather1 day ago

NASA's Twin Spacecraft Will Map Mars' Atmospheric Death

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Image for: NASA races to fix Moon rocket before April launch window
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Artemis II Hits the Repair Bay NASA's Artemis II lunar rocket and Orion spacecraft rolled into the Vehicle Assembly Building on February 25, and technicians immediately went to work on a helium system malfunction that emerged during a recent test firing. Engineers traced the problem to the rocket's interim cryogenic propulsion system (ICPS) — the upper stage responsible for pushing the spacecraft toward the Moon — narrowing suspects to either a quick-disconnect seal or a check valve on the helium supply line. The issue surfaced during a wet dress rehearsal on February 21, when engineers were reconfiguring the rocket following a successful test. The helium system failure meant the upper stage couldn't be properly pressurized and conditioned for flight, a critical prerequisite before any Moon mission can launch. With an April launch window already on the calendar, the clock is ticking — but NASA engineers insist the timeline remains achievable if repairs proceed cleanly. Why Helium Matters to Moon Missions To non-engineers, helium might sound like party balloon filler. In reality, it's mission-critical infrastructure. The ICPS uses helium to maintain proper internal environmental conditions and to pressurize the upper stage tank for flight. Without adequate helium flow and pressure, the stage cannot function reliably once in space. The system connects through two umbilical interfaces: a forward plate (smaller) carrying liquid hydrogen vent and environmental control lines, and an aft plate (larger) supplying both liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, plus the helium quick-disconnect that's now suspect. The repair scope extends beyond just the helium problem. Teams are installing two sets of internal access platforms inside the launch vehicle stage adapter and removing thermal blankets to reach the problematic connection points. It's painstaking work — the kind that requires careful choreography and zero tolerance for error. Parallel Work Maximizes Schedule Efficiency While technicians tackle the helium issue, other crews are executing complementary repairs in parallel. NASA engineers have optimized the Vehicle Assembly Building work schedule to install new batteries across the SLS core stage, upper stage, and solid rocket boosters. The team will also retest the flight termination system — the rocket's safety kill switches — alongside avionics and control systems verification. The Orion spacecraft's launch abort system batteries will be recharged, and crews may refresh stowed items in the crew module. This multi-workstream approach is standard practice for large-scale vehicle processing, but it only works if the primary repair — in this case, the helium system fix — doesn't cascade into secondary problems. NASA has budgeted flexibility into the timeline, but each discovered issue compounds schedule risk. The April Window and Beyond NASA has publicly committed to an April launch opportunity for Artemis II, pending successful completion of data reviews, repairs, and system retests. The rocket will need to roll back to Launch Pad 39B in time to meet that window. If repairs extend beyond a few weeks, or if the investigation uncovers additional issues with the ICPS, the launch could slip to later availability windows. The Artemis II mission represents a crucial stepping stone for the broader lunar program — a crewed test flight of the SLS and Orion before the actual Moon landing attempt. Any delay ripples through the entire architecture. Yet rushing repairs on a vehicle bound for human spaceflight is never the answer. NASA will move methodically through diagnostics and fixes. The real deadline isn't April; it's mission success.

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Space Weather4 days ago

ESA captures 'ring of fire' eclipse from space in ultraviolet light

ESA's Proba-2 Captures Rare Annular Eclipse From Above Atmosphere On February 17, 2026, the European Space Agency's Proba-2 satellite achieved what ground-based observatories cannot: a crisp, unobstructed view of an annular solar eclipse from space. The spacecraft captured the event in extreme ultraviolet light, revealing the Sun's corona—its wispy, million-degree outer atmosphere—with unprecedented clarity. Unlike observers on Earth, who watched the Moon form a brilliant "ring of fire" across the Sun's disk, Proba-2 documented the eclipse free from atmospheric distortion, providing scientists with raw data on solar behavior that could reshape how we prepare for space weather threats to critical infrastructure. An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between Earth and Sun but appears too small to completely block our star. This happens because the Moon sits farther along its elliptical orbit, making it smaller in the sky than the Sun. The result is a glowing ring—the photosphere—visible around the Moon's silhouette. While dramatic from Earth, the real scientific payoff comes from space. Proba-2's SWAP (Sun Watcher using Active Pixel System) imager operates at 17.4 nanometers, a wavelength that penetrates the Sun's corona to reveal solar flares and coronal mass ejections in detail. Ground-based telescopes cannot access this information because Earth's atmosphere absorbs ultraviolet light. Why This Matters Now The timing of Proba-2's observations arrives as space agencies worldwide confront an uncomfortable reality: we are ill-equipped for the next major solar storm. In May 2024, a geomagnetic storm rated G4 (severe) disrupted farming equipment GPS across North America and degraded power grid stability. Scientists warn that a Carrington Event-scale storm—possible within the next 12 years—could cause trillions in economic damage. By monitoring the Sun's corona during eclipses, researchers can refine models that predict when and where coronal mass ejections will hit Earth. Proba-2's 2026 data feeds directly into this effort. Proba-2, launched in 2009, represents a lean approach to solar science. The satellite is small—fitting inside a compact spacecraft architecture—yet bristles with sophisticated instrumentation. Its longevity (now in its 15th year of operation) reflects solid engineering and ESA's commitment to sustained solar monitoring. The SWAP imager has been the backbone of ultraviolet solar research for over a decade, making the February 2026 eclipse observations a natural extension of an already robust mission. The Broader Context Solar eclipse observations from space have accelerated scientific discovery since NASA's Skylab era in the 1970s. Modern satellites like Proba-2, SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory), and Japan's Hinode have transformed our understanding of solar dynamics. The February 2026 eclipse is part of a constellation of upcoming celestial events: a total solar eclipse crosses Greenland, Iceland, and Spain on August 12, 2026, followed by another total eclipse over North Africa and the Middle East on August 2, 2027. Each event offers opportunities for both space-based and terrestrial science campaigns. What's Next The data Proba-2 collected during the February 2026 annular eclipse will be processed and released to the broader scientific community, likely yielding dozens of peer-reviewed papers on solar corona dynamics and heating mechanisms. Meanwhile, space agencies are preparing deployment of next-generation solar observatories—including ESA's upcoming Solar Orbiter deep-dive missions and NASA's planned solar probe fleet—designed to get even closer to the Sun and capture phenomena invisible to current instruments. The 2026 eclipse serves as both a capstone to a generation of solar science and a proving ground for the observational strategies that will guide the next decade of heliophysics research.

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