Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.

Image Credit: NASA