NASA loaded cryogenic propellant into the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for a second time on February 19, 2026, at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B, pushing the countdown to T-33 seconds in a test that will determine when four astronauts fly around the Moon.

NASA leaders said the agency disregarded crew safety by pushing ahead with the failed Starliner mission in 2024, which waylaid astronauts for months at the International Space Station.