Arctic Cold Delays NASA's Artemis-II Moon Mission Preparations

• An unexpected severe cold snap in Florida has forced NASA to delay preparations for its Artemis-II mission.
• The unusual Arctic cold, with near-freezing temperatures at Kennedy Space Center, led to the postponement of a crucial 'wet dress rehearsal'.
• NASA engineers prioritized safety, installing special heaters to protect the sensitive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft from extreme cold.
• The 'wet dress rehearsal', involving loading 700,000 gallons of cryogenic fuel, was deemed unsafe in cold weather and is now rescheduled for February 2.
• This delay pushes back the potential launch date for Artemis-II, with February 8 now being the earliest possible window for the mission to return humans to lunar orbit after 50 years.

Why It Matters: Extreme cold in Florida has significantly delayed NASA's Artemis-II mission preparations and launch schedule.