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[b]Entering terminal count[/b] NASA teams have now officially entered the final ten minutes of today's Artemis II wet dress rehearsal countdown known as terminal count after Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA's Artemis launch director, gave the "go" to proceed toward the simulated T-0 time of 8:42 p.m. During terminal count, automated systems take control of countdown operations, final checks of flight computers, engine bleed systems, and ground support equipment occur, and the rocket transitions to internal power, and the countdown proceeds toward simulated engine start. Terminal count is designed to confirm that all systems can perform flawlessly under launch conditions, ensuring readiness for Artemis II – the first crewed mission of the Artemis program. During this first terminal count run, the team will pause at T-1 minute and 30 seconds for up to three minutes, then resume until T-33 seconds before launch and pause again. After that, they will recycle the clock back to T-10 minutes and conduct a second terminal countdown to approximately T-33 seconds before ending the sequence. This process simulates real-world conditions, including scenarios where a launch might be scrubbed due to technical or weather issues. [b]Update at 8:39 p.m. EST[/b]: The crew access arm has been retracted. The launch abort system would be available to pull the crew to safety in the event of an emergency on the launch pad beginning 5 minutes 25 seconds before launch.
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