Artemis 2 Preparations Continue with Seal Repairs and Revised Rehearsal Plans

NASA is pressing forward with preparations for the Artemis 2 mission, the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) to orbit the Moon. Recent work at the launch pad has focused on replacing seals in the tail service mast umbilical—the three-story-tall structures that deliver cryogenic propellants and electrical connections to the SLS core stage. The repairs follow elevated hydrogen gas concentrations detected during the last wet dress rehearsal, prompting engineers to inspect and replace seals around two fuelling lines.

With the new seals now installed, NASA plans to reconnect the relevant interfaces and conduct further testing at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to better understand the dynamics of the reconfigured hardware. The agency has also revised procedures for the next wet dress rehearsal: the Orion crew module hatch will be closed beforehand, the crew access arm will remain extended, and an extra hour has been added to the countdown timeline—split across two holds—to allow for troubleshooting without impacting the crew’s launch-day schedule. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who will fly around the Moon as part of Artemis 2, continues his training alongside his crewmates as NASA aims for a potential launch window in March 2026.

Crew-12 Launch Delayed to Thursday Due to Weather

NASA and SpaceX have postponed the launch of the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station by one day, now targeting Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 5:38 a.m. EST. The decision follows a weather review that identified unfavourable conditions along the Dragon spacecraft’s ascent corridor for the original Wednesday launch window. The crew—comprising NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev—completed a successful dry dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center on February 9, practicing all pre-launch procedures including suiting up and boarding the Crew Dragon capsule.

Aboard the ISS, the current Expedition 74 crew has been preparing for the newcomers’ arrival by setting up research hardware and conducting Soyuz emergency return simulations. While the delay is minor, it underscores how even routine missions remain at the mercy of terrestrial weather. Fortunately, Florida’s coastal climate often offers alternate launch opportunities within a narrow window, and mission teams will continue monitoring conditions closely ahead of Thursday’s attempt.

Boreal Forests on the Move as Climate Shifts Northward

A new study using four decades of Landsat satellite imagery has confirmed what many ecologists have long suspected: Canada’s boreal forest is migrating north. Published in Biogeosciences in February 2026, the analysis reveals that warming temperatures are driving measurable shifts in the world’s largest terrestrial biome, with tree cover expanding into higher latitudes between 1985 and 2020. This northward creep is occurring faster here than in other major forest types globally.

For Canadians, this isn’t just an abstract scientific observation—it’s a transformation of the landscape that spans from Yukon to Newfoundland and Labrador, encompassing vital ecosystems, Indigenous territories, and carbon reservoirs. The shift has implications for biodiversity, wildfire patterns, and carbon cycling, and it reinforces the need for precise, satellite-based monitoring. As space-based Earth observation becomes increasingly central to climate policy, Canadian researchers and policymakers will likely lean on data from international missions like Landsat, as well as domestic assets such as the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, to track these changes in near real time.

Citations

• “NASA conducts SLS repairs ahead of next Artemis 2 wet dress rehearsal” – https://spaceq.ca/nasa-conducts-sls-repairs-ahead-of-next-artemis-2-wet-dress-rehearsal/
• “NASA, SpaceX Adjust Crew-12 Launch Date Due to Weather” – https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/commercialcrew/2026/02/09/nasa-spacex-adjust-crew-12-launch-date-due-to-weather/
• “Landsat study maps boreal forest shift north” – https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Landsat_study_maps_boreal_forest_shift_north_999.html