Lights illuminate NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 01/18/2026. In the coming days, engineers will prepare for the wet dress rehearsal, a two-day test that simulates launch day. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026.
Teams at Bechtel National, Inc. use a crane to lift Module 4 into place atop the mobile launcher 2 tower chair at its Kennedy Space Center park site on January 3, 2025. Module 4 is the first of seven modules that will be stacked vertically to make up the almost 400-foot launch tower that will be used beginning with the Artemis IV mission.
Teams at Bechtel National, Inc. use a crane to lift Module 4 into place atop the mobile launcher 2 tower chair at its Kennedy Space Center park site on January 3, 2025. Module 4 is the first of seven modules that will be stacked vertically to make up the almost 400-foot launch tower that will be used beginning with the Artemis IV mission.
Teams at Bechtel National, Inc. use a crane to lift Module 4 into place atop the mobile launcher 2 tower chair at its Kennedy Space Center park site on January 3, 2025. Module 4 is the first of seven modules that will be stacked vertically to make up the almost 400-foot launch tower that will be used beginning with the Artemis IV mission.
Teams at Bechtel National, Inc. use a crane to lift Module 4 into place atop the mobile launcher 2 tower chair at its Kennedy Space Center park site on January 3, 2025. Module 4 is the first of seven modules that will be stacked vertically to make up the almost 400-foot launch tower that will be used beginning with the Artemis IV mission.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of the company's Starlink internet satellites lifts off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, on April 21, 2022. On the right, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard sits atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, while on the left at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A is a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft, as preparations continue for the agency’s Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of the company's Starlink internet satellites lifts off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, on April 21, 2022. On the right, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard sits atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, while on the left at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A is a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft, as preparations continue for the agency’s Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station.
NASA’s Artemis II hardware, the launch vehicle stage adapter, is inside High Bay 4 on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of rocket stacking operations. The cone shaped launch vehicle stage adapter connects the SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket to the upper stage, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, and protects the rocket’s flight computers, avionics, and electrical devices during launch and ascent during the Artemis missions.
NASA’s Artemis II hardware, the launch vehicle stage adapter, is inside High Bay 4 on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of rocket stacking operations. The cone shaped launch vehicle stage adapter connects the SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket to the upper stage, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, and protects the rocket’s flight computers, avionics, and electrical devices during launch and ascent during the Artemis missions.
NASA’s Artemis II hardware, the launch vehicle stage adapter, is inside High Bay 4 on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of rocket stacking operations. The cone shaped launch vehicle stage adapter connects the SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket to the upper stage, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, and protects the rocket’s flight computers, avionics, and electrical devices during launch and ascent during the Artemis missions.
NASA’s Artemis II hardware, the launch vehicle stage adapter, is inside High Bay 4 on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of rocket stacking operations. The cone shaped launch vehicle stage adapter connects the SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket to the upper stage, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, and protects the rocket’s flight computers, avionics, and electrical devices during launch and ascent during the Artemis missions.
Inside the Launch Control Center’s Firing Room 1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the Artemis I launch team rehearse the procedures for fueling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with super cold propellants, or cryogenics, on Aug. 18, 2020. During the cryogenic simulation, potential problem scenarios were introduced to test the tools, processes, and procedures necessary for fueling the rocket. Artemis I will be the first integrated test flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft – the system that will ultimately land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024.
Artemis I Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson stands at her console inside the Launch Control Center’s Firing Room 1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a simulation rehearsing propellant loading on Aug. 18, 2020. The simulation involved members of the launch team practicing the procedures for loading the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with cryogenics, or super cold propellants. During the exercise, potential problem scenarios were introduced to test the tools, processes, and procedures necessary for fueling the rocket. Artemis I will be the first integrated test flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft – the system that will ultimately land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024.
Inside the Launch Control Center’s Firing Room 1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the Artemis I launch team rehearse the procedures for fueling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with super cold propellants, or cryogenics, on Aug. 18, 2020. During the cryogenic simulation, potential problem scenarios were introduced to test the tools, processes, and procedures necessary for fueling the rocket. Artemis I will be the first integrated test flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft – the system that will ultimately land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024.
Artemis I Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson stands at her console inside the Launch Control Center’s Firing Room 1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a simulation rehearsing propellant loading on Aug. 18, 2020. The simulation involved members of the launch team practicing the procedures for loading the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with cryogenics, or super cold propellants. During the exercise, potential problem scenarios were introduced to test the tools, processes, and procedures necessary for fueling the rocket. Artemis I will be the first integrated test flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft – the system that will ultimately land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024.
Inside the Launch Control Center’s Firing Room 1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the Artemis I launch team rehearse the procedures for fueling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with super cold propellants, or cryogenics, on Aug. 18, 2020. During the cryogenic simulation, potential problem scenarios were introduced to test the tools, processes, and procedures necessary for fueling the rocket. Artemis I will be the first integrated test flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft – the system that will ultimately land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024.
Inside the Launch Control Center’s Firing Room 1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the Artemis I launch team rehearse the procedures for fueling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with super cold propellants, or cryogenics, on Aug. 18, 2020. During the cryogenic simulation, potential problem scenarios were introduced to test the tools, processes, and procedures necessary for fueling the rocket. Artemis I will be the first integrated test flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft – the system that will ultimately land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024.
Inside the Launch Control Center’s Firing Room 1 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the Artemis I launch team rehearse the procedures for fueling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with super cold propellants, or cryogenics, on Aug. 18, 2020. During the cryogenic simulation, potential problem scenarios were introduced to test the tools, processes, and procedures necessary for fueling the rocket. Artemis I will be the first integrated test flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft – the system that will ultimately land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024.
This image shows NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft rolling out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. NASA's massive Crawler-Transporter, upgraded for the Artemis program, carries the powerful SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft on the Mobile Launcher from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for the Artemis II mission.
Four astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft atop the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket launch on the agency’s Artemis II test flight, Wednesday, April 1 from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Artemis II lifted off at 6:35 p.m. ET. Artemis II is the first crewed mission of the agency’s Artemis campaign. The mission will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth.
art002e009006 (April 4, 2026) - The Artemis II crew took this photo on day 4 of their journey to the Moon. In it, the Moon is oriented with the South Pole at the top and are beginning to see parts of the lunar far side. Orientale basin is on the right edge of the lunar disk in this image. Artemis II marks the first time that humans have seen the entire basin. The Artemis II crew will continue to observe Orientale from multiple angles as they approach the Moon and throughout the lunar flyby. Orientale is the textbook multi-ring impact basin used as a baseline to compare other impact craters on rocky worlds from Mercury to Pluto.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, technicians monitor as teams lift the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, teams lift the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, teams lift the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
art002e008487 (April 4, 2026) - NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon.
art002e008486 (April 4, 2026) - NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon.
art002e009007 (April 4, 2026) - NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon.
art002e004462 (April 4, 2026) - A sliver of Earth is illuminated against the blackness of space in this photo taken by an Artemis II crew member through an Orion spacecraft window. Credit: NASA
art002e004450 (April 4, 2026) - Earth is illuminated against the blackness of space in this photo taken by an Artemis II crew member through an Orion spacecraft window. Credit: NASA
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
art001e002000 (Dec. 4, 2022) On the 19th day of the Artemis I mission, the Moon grows larger in frame as Orion prepares for the return powered flyby on Dec. 5, when it will pass approximately 79 miles above the lunar surface.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, teams lift the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, teams lift the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, teams lift the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, teams lift the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
art001e001999 (Dec. 4, 2022) On the 19th day of the Artemis I mission, the Moon grows larger in frame as Orion prepares for the return powered flyby on Dec. 5, when it will pass approximately 79 miles above the lunar surface.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
On April 4, 2024, technicians monitor as teams lift the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
art001e001998 (Dec. 4, 2022) On the 19th day of the Artemis I mission, the Moon grows larger in frame as Orion prepares for the return powered flyby on Dec. 5, when it will pass approximately 79 miles above the lunar surface.
On April 4, 2024, a team lifts the Artemis II Orion spacecraft into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
Artemis teams conduct the final simulation for the Artemis I mission inside the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 4, 2022. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. During the flight, Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft for humans has ever flown. The spacecraft will stay in space longer than any human spacecraft has without docking to the International Space Station and return home faster than ever before. Shown here is Melissa Jones, Artemis I landing and recovery director.
Artemis teams conduct the final simulation for the Artemis I mission inside the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 4, 2022. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. During the flight, Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft for humans has ever flown. The spacecraft will stay in space longer than any human spacecraft has without docking to the International Space Station and return home faster than ever before. Shown here is Wes Mosedale, the technical assistant to Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson.
art002e009014 (April 4, 2026) - Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch (center) and Commander Reid Wiseman (top) are seen through windows of the Orion spacecraft while on their way to the Moon. This selfie-style photo was taken using a camera on the end of one of Orion's solar array wings on flight day 4 of the approximately 10-day test flight, when Orion was more than halfway to the Moon.
art002e009008 (April 4, 2026) - Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen is seen through a window of the Orion spacecraft while on his way to the Moon. This selfie-style photo was taken using a camera on the end of one of Orion's solar array wings on flight day 4 of the approximately 10-day test flight, when Orion was more than halfway to the Moon.
Artemis II Commander, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman provides remarks at a Moon tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the United States Capitol in Washington. The American Sweetgum tree planted on the southwestern side of the Capitol, was grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Artemis II Commander, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman provides remarks at a Moon tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the United States Capitol in Washington. The American Sweetgum tree planted on the southwestern side of the Capitol, was grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program offload the agency’s Orion spacecraft from the KAMAG transporter to the servicing stand inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, May 4, 2025, to undergo fueling and processing operations for prelaunch operations. The Artemis II test flight is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step toward missions on the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for future human missions to Mars.
NASA’s mobile launcher 1 atop the spaceport’s crawler is transported inside the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of integration of the Artemis II Moon rocket on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. The mobile launcher has been at Launch Complex 39B since August 2023 undergoing upgrades and tests in preparation for NASA’s Artemis II mission. The mobile launcher will be used to assemble, process, and launch NASA’s SLS (Space Launch Systems) and Orion spacecraft to the Moon and beyond.
Artemis II Commander, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman provides remarks at a Moon tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the United States Capitol in Washington. The American Sweetgum tree planted on the southwestern side of the Capitol, was grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
In celebration of Women’s History Month, the “Women of Launch Control” working in Exploration Ground Systems take time out of their Artemis I launch planning to pose for a photo in Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 4, 2020. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket, the system that will ultimately land the first woman and the next man on the Moon.
Artemis II Commander, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman provides remarks at a Moon tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the United States Capitol in Washington. The American Sweetgum tree planted on the southwestern side of the Capitol, was grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Katie Mortensen, mechanical engineering technician, paints NASA’s Artemis logo on the White Room connected to the crew access arm and mobile launcher inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. The White Room is the area where the Artemis II crew Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will enter the Orion spacecraft ahead of launch from Launch Complex 39B at NASA Kennedy in early 2026.
A freshly painted NASA’s Artemis logo is unveiled on the White Room connected to the crew access arm and mobile launcher inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. The White Room is the area where the Artemis II crew Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will enter the Orion spacecraft ahead of launch from Launch Complex 39B at NASA Kennedy in early 2026.
Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program offload the agency’s Orion spacecraft from the KAMAG transporter to the servicing stand inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, May 4, 2025, to undergo fueling and processing operations for prelaunch operations. The Artemis II test flight is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step toward missions on the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for future human missions to Mars.
NASA’s mobile launcher 1 atop the spaceport’s crawler is transported inside the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of integration of the Artemis II Moon rocket on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. The mobile launcher has been at Launch Complex 39B since August 2023 undergoing upgrades and tests in preparation for NASA’s Artemis II mission. The mobile launcher will be used to assemble, process, and launch NASA’s SLS (Space Launch Systems) and Orion spacecraft to the Moon and beyond.
A freshly painted NASA’s Artemis logo is unveiled on the White Room connected to the crew access arm and mobile launcher inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. The White Room is the area where the Artemis II crew Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will enter the Orion spacecraft ahead of launch from Launch Complex 39B at NASA Kennedy in early 2026.
The Artemis II crew, NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, pose for a photo after a Moon tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the United States Capitol in Washington. The American Sweetgum tree planted on the southwestern side of the Capitol, was grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover greets U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) at a Moon tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the United States Capitol in Washington. The American Sweetgum tree planted on the southwestern side of the Capitol, was grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
NASA’s mobile launcher 1 atop the spaceport’s crawler is transported inside the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of integration of the Artemis II Moon rocket on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. The mobile launcher has been at Launch Complex 39B since August 2023 undergoing upgrades and tests in preparation for NASA’s Artemis II mission. The mobile launcher will be used to assemble, process, and launch NASA’s SLS (Space Launch Systems) and Orion spacecraft to the Moon and beyond.
Artemis II Commander, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman provides remarks at a Moon tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the United States Capitol in Washington. The American Sweetgum tree planted on the southwestern side of the Capitol, was grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
A freshly painted NASA’s Artemis logo is unveiled on the White Room connected to the crew access arm and mobile launcher inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. The White Room is the area where the Artemis II crew Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will enter the Orion spacecraft ahead of launch from Launch Complex 39B at NASA Kennedy in early 2026.
Artemis II Commander, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman provides remarks at a Moon tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the United States Capitol in Washington. The American Sweetgum tree planted on the southwestern side of the Capitol, was grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
NASA’s mobile launcher 1 begins its approximately 4-mile trek from Launch Complex 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in preparation for Artemis III stacking operations. Teams will perform checkouts, inspections, and data analysis, and make repairs to the tower that saw damage during liftoff of the Artemis II test flight.
NASA’s mobile launcher 1 begins its approximately 4-mile trek from Launch Complex 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in preparation for Artemis III stacking operations. Teams will perform checkouts, inspections, and data analysis, and make repairs to the tower that saw damage during liftoff of the Artemis II test flight.
NASA’s mobile launcher 1 begins its approximately 4-mile trek from Launch Complex 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in preparation for Artemis III stacking operations. Teams will perform checkouts, inspections, and data analysis, and make repairs to the tower that saw damage during liftoff of the Artemis II test flight.
NASA’s mobile launcher 1 begins its approximately 4-mile trek from Launch Complex 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in preparation for Artemis III stacking operations. Teams will perform checkouts, inspections, and data analysis, and make repairs to the tower that saw damage during liftoff of the Artemis II test flight.
NASA’s mobile launcher enters the Vehicle Assembly Building following its approximately 4-mile trek from Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, April 17, 2026, in preparation for Artemis III stacking operations. Teams will perform checkouts, inspections, and data analysis, and make repairs to the tower that saw damage during launch of NASA’s Artemis II test flight on April 1, 2026.
NASA’s mobile launcher approaches the Vehicle Assembly Building following its approximately 4-mile trek from Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, April 17, 2026, in preparation for Artemis III stacking operations. Teams will perform checkouts, inspections, and data analysis, and make repairs to the tower that saw damage during launch of NASA’s Artemis II test flight on April 1, 2026.
NASA’s mobile launcher enters the Vehicle Assembly Building following its approximately 4-mile trek from Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, April 17, 2026, in preparation for Artemis III stacking operations. Teams will perform checkouts, inspections, and data analysis, and make repairs to the tower that saw damage during launch of NASA’s Artemis II test flight on April 1, 2026.
NASA’s mobile launcher enters the Vehicle Assembly Building following its approximately 4-mile trek from Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, April 17, 2026, in preparation for Artemis III stacking operations. Teams will perform checkouts, inspections, and data analysis, and make repairs to the tower that saw damage during launch of NASA’s Artemis II test flight on April 1, 2026.
NASA’s mobile launcher approaches the Vehicle Assembly Building following its approximately 4-mile trek from Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, April 17, 2026, in preparation for Artemis III stacking operations. Teams will perform checkouts, inspections, and data analysis, and make repairs to the tower that saw damage during launch of NASA’s Artemis II test flight on April 1, 2026.
NASA’s mobile launcher approaches the Vehicle Assembly Building following its approximately 4-mile trek from Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, April 17, 2026, in preparation for Artemis III stacking operations. Teams will perform checkouts, inspections, and data analysis, and make repairs to the tower that saw damage during launch of NASA’s Artemis II test flight on April 1, 2026.
art001e002002 (Dec. 4, 2022) On the 19th day of the Artemis I mission, Orion captures Earth from a camera mounted on one of its solar arrays as the spacecraft prepares for the return powered flyby of the Moon on Dec. 5, when it will pass approximately 79 miles above the lunar surface.
art002e009206 (April 4, 2026) - NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch, seen here on the fourth day of the mission, prepping for lunar flyby activities after completing aerobic exercise on the flywheel device. Credit: NASA
art001e002001 (Dec. 4, 2022) On the 19th day of the Artemis I mission, Orion captures Earth from a camera mounted on one of its solar arrays as the spacecraft prepares for the return powered flyby of the Moon on Dec. 5, when it will pass approximately 79 miles above the lunar surface.
On April 4, 2024, technicians examine the Artemis II Orion spacecraft after a team lifts it into a vacuum chamber inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing.
An American Sweetgum sapling grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission is seen before a Moon tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the United States Capitol in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
art001e002003 (Dec. 4, 2022) On the 19th day of the Artemis I mission, Orion captures Earth from a camera mounted on one of its solar arrays as the spacecraft prepares for the return powered flyby of the Moon on Dec. 5, when it will pass approximately 79 miles above the lunar surface.
The leaves of an American Sweetgum sapling grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission is seen before a Moon tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the United States Capitol in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
An American Sweetgum sapling grown from a seed that was flown around the Moon during the Artemis I mission is seen before a Moon tree dedication ceremony, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the United States Capitol in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
jsc2026e021107 (April 4, 2026) – CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut and backup Artemis II crew member Jenni Gibbons serves as capsule communicator (capcom) during an Orion manual piloting demonstration on the fourth day of the mission. Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Monday, April 4, 2022, as the Artemis I launch team conducts the wet dress rehearsal test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I flight test, the wet dress rehearsal will run the Artemis I launch team through operations to load propellant, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice timelines and procedures for launch. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA’s Pegasus barge, carrying the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, arrives at the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf on July 29, 2020. Traveling to Florida from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the LVSA will connect the SLS core stage to the rocket’s upper stage for the Artemis I launch. Once the LVSA is offloaded, it will be moved to High Bay 4 in the Vehicle Assembly Building for processing ahead of launch. The first launch under the agency’s Artemis program, Artemis I will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.
jsc2023e017059 (April 4, 2023) -- NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are announced as members of the Artemis II crew that will travel around the Moon during a Monday, April 3, 2023, crew announcement news conference at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The crew is comprised of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. The four astronauts will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. Photo by James Blair.
jsc2023e017418 (April 4, 2023) -- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, right, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, and NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana prepare to announce the four crewmembers of the Artemis II crew that will travel around the Moon during a Monday, April 3, 2023, crew announcement news conference at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The crew is comprised of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. The four astronauts will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. Photo by Bill Stafford.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Monday, April 4, 2022, as the Artemis I launch team conducts the wet dress rehearsal test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I flight test, the wet dress rehearsal will run the Artemis I launch team through operations to load propellant, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice timelines and procedures for launch. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)