
Engineers and technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to lift the left center center booster segment shown with the iconic NASA “worm” insignia for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam ahead of integration onto the mobile launcher. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

Employees from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida attend a panel discussion featuring women in leadership roles across NASA in honor of Women's History Month inside the Operations Support Building II at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida held on Friday, March 15, 2024. Participants in the Women Launching Women panel commemorate inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce include JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of Kennedy Space Center; Janet Petro, Kennedy Space Center director; Charlie Blackwell Thompson, NASA Artemis launch director; Lorna Kenna, vice president and program manager of Jacobs Space Operations Group; Kim Carter, Kennedy Space Center Office of Center Engagement and Business Integration Services director; and Casey Swails, NASA deputy associate administrator.

Engineers and technicians with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right forward center segment to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2025 ahead of integration onto the Mobile Launcher 1. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artems II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS (Space Launch System) thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy's Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers and technicians with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right forward center segment to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2025 ahead of integration onto the Mobile Launcher 1. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artems II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS (Space Launch System) thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy's Launch Pad 39B.

NASA Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell Thompson participates in a discussion in honor of Women's History Month held on Friday, March 15, 2024, inside the Operations Support Building II at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Women Launching Women panel commemorates inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

Engineers and technicians with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right forward center segment to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 ahead of integration onto the Mobile Launcher 1. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artems II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS (Space Launch System) thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy's Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers and technicians with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right forward center segment to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2025 ahead of integration onto the Mobile Launcher 1. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artems II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS (Space Launch System) thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy's Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

Kennedy Space Center Director of Center Engagement and Business Integration Services, Kim Carter, participates in a discussion in honor of Women's History Month held on Friday, March 15, 2024, inside the Operations Support Building II at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Women Launching Women panel commemorates inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

Technicians transport the right forward segment for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket boosters from the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility to NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida on Monday, Feb. 15, 2025. The right forward segment will be transferred into High Bay 3 where it will be attached to the center forward segment on mobile launcher 1. The twin solid boosters, five segments on each side, will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Technicians transport the right forward segment for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket boosters from the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility to NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida on Monday, Feb. 15, 2025. The right forward segment will be transferred into High Bay 3 where it will be attached to the center forward segment on mobile launcher 1. The twin solid boosters, five segments on each side, will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

A panel discussion featuring women in leadership roles across NASA honors Women's History Month inside the Operations Support Building II at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida held on Friday, March 15, 2024. Participants in the Women Launching Women panel commemorate inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce include JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of Kennedy Space Center; Janet Petro, Kennedy Space Center director; Charlie Blackwell Thompson, NASA Artemis launch director; Lorna Kenna, vice president and program manager of Jacobs Space Operations Group; Kim Carter, Kennedy Space Center Office of Center Engagement and Business Integration Services director; and Casey Swails, NASA deputy associate administrator.

Inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems use a crane to lower the left center center booster segment for the NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket onto the left aft center segment atop the mobile launcher on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The NASA “worm” insignia can be seen on both the center center booster segments. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Lorna Kenna, vice president and program manager of Jacobs Space Operations Group at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, participates in a discussion in honor of Women's History Month held on Friday, March 15, 2024, inside Kennedy’s Operations Support Building II. The Women Launching Women panel commemorates inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce.

NASA deputy Associate Administrator, Casey Swails, participates in a discussion in honor of Women's History Month held on Friday, March 15, 2024, inside Kennedy’s Operations Support Building II. The Women Launching Women panel commemorates inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce.

JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, participates in a discussion in honor of Women's History Month held on Friday, March 15, 2024, inside Kennedy’s Operations Support Building II. The Women Launching Women panel commemorates inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce.

Photographers at NASA capture the sunset on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, near Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The iconic Vehicle Assembly Building, completed in 1966 and currently used for assembly of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis missions, remains the only building in which rockets were assembled that carried humans to the surface of another world.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

A long-exposure image captures a streak of light produced by passing vehicles in front of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. The iconic Vehicle Assembly Building, completed in 1966 and currently used for assembly of NASA's Space Launch System rocket for Artemis missions, remains the only building in which rockets were assembled that carried humans to the surface of another world.

A tortoise walks through the grass at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. In view in the background is the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building. The center shares over 140,000 acres with Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, a diverse ecosystem and home to more than 1,000 species of plants, 117 species of fish, 68 species of amphibians and reptiles, 330 species of birds, and 31 different types of mammals.

Photographers at NASA capture the sunset on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, near the headquarters building of the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

Engineers and technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right center center segment with the NASA worm insignia to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam ahead of integration onto the mobile launcher. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS (Space Launch System) thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems use a crane to lower the left center center booster segment for the NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket onto the left aft center segment atop the mobile launcher on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The NASA “worm” insignia can be seen on both the center center booster segments. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers and technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right center center segment with the NASA worm insignia to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam ahead of integration onto the mobile launcher. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS (Space Launch System) thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems use a crane to lower the left center center booster segment for the NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket onto the left aft center segment atop the mobile launcher on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The NASA “worm” insignia can be seen on both the center center booster segments. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Women in leadership roles across NASA participate in a panel discussion in honor of Women's History Month on Friday, March 15, 2024, inside the Operations Support Building II at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Participants from left to right are, JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of Kennedy Space Center; Janet Petro, Kennedy Space Center director; Charlie Blackwell Thompson, NASA Artemis launch director; Lorna Kenna, vice president and program manager of Jacobs Space Operations Group; Kim Carter, Kennedy Space Center Office of Center Engagement and Business Integration Services director; and Casey Swails, NASA deputy associate administrator. The Women Launching Women panel commemorates inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

Engineers and technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right center center segment with the NASA worm insignia to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam ahead of integration onto the mobile launcher. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS (Space Launch System) thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Photographers at NASA capture the sunset on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

Engineers and technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to lift the left center center booster segment shown with the iconic NASA “worm” insignia for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam ahead of integration onto the mobile launcher. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Photographers at NASA capture the sunset on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, near the headquarters building of the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems use a crane to lower the right forward center booster segment for the NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket onto the right center center segment with the iconic NASA “worm” insignia atop the mobile launcher on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

NASA Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell Thompson participates in a discussion in honor of Women's History Month held on Friday, March 15, 2024, inside the Operations Support Building II at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Women Launching Women panel commemorates inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro participates in a discussion in honor of Women's History Month held on Friday, March 15, 2024, inside the Operations Support Building II at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Women Launching Women panel commemorates inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce.

JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of NASA Kennedy Space Center, poses for photos with attendees of a panel discussion honoring Women's History Month held on Friday, March 15, 2024, inside the Operations Support Building II at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Women Launching Women panel commemorates inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce.

Engineers and technicians with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right forward center segment to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 ahead of integration onto the Mobile Launcher 1. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artems II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS (Space Launch System) thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy's Launch Pad 39B.

Kennedy Space Center Director of Center Engagement and Business Integration Services, Kim Carter, participates in a discussion in honor of Women's History Month held on Friday, March 15, 2024, inside the Operations Support Building II at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Women Launching Women panel commemorates inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

Inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems use a crane to lower the right forward center booster segment for the NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket onto the right center center segment with the iconic NASA “worm” insignia atop the mobile launcher on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers and technicians with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right forward center segment to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2025 ahead of integration onto the Mobile Launcher 1. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artems II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS (Space Launch System) thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy's Launch Pad 39B.

Inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems use a crane to lower the right forward center booster segment for the NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket onto the right center center segment with the iconic NASA “worm” insignia atop the mobile launcher on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Technicians transport the right forward segment for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket boosters from the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility to NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida on Monday, Feb. 15, 2025. The right forward segment will be transferred into High Bay 3 where it will be attached to the center forward segment on mobile launcher 1. The twin solid boosters, five segments on each side, will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to transfer one of the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

Photographers at NASA capture the sunset on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, near Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The iconic Vehicle Assembly Building, completed in 1966 and currently used for assembly of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis missions, remains the only building in which rockets were assembled that carried humans to the surface of another world.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to move the aft assemblies of the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission with an overhead crane inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The booster segments are being transferred to the NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building via a transporter for stacking operations in preparation for launch of the Artemis II mission.

JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, participates in a discussion in honor of Women's History Month held on Friday, March 15, 2024, inside Kennedy’s Operations Support Building II. The Women Launching Women panel commemorates inspirational women and men who have lifted and helped others excel in their careers across the agency and offer words of advice for the current workforce.

Engineers and technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right center center segment with the NASA worm insignia to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam ahead of integration onto the mobile launcher. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS (Space Launch System) thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers and technicians with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right forward center segment to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 ahead of integration onto the Mobile Launcher 1. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artems II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS (Space Launch System) thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy's Launch Pad 39B.

Photographers at NASA capture the sunset on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, near Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The iconic Vehicle Assembly Building, completed in 1966 and currently used for assembly of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis missions, remains the only building in which rockets were assembled that carried humans to the surface of another world.

Teams process Dream Chaser Tenacity, Sierra Space's uncrewed cargo spaceplane, inside the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, May 20, 2024, following its arrival from the agency's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. Dream Chaser Tenacity will undergo final testing and prelaunch processing inside the high bay of the SSPF ahead of its inaugural launch atop a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The reusable transportation system is contracted to perform a minimum of seven cargo missions to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s efforts to expand commercial resupply services to low Earth orbit.

Dream Chaser Tenacity, Sierra Space's uncrewed cargo spaceplane is lifted and moved by crane inside the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, May 20, 2024. Dream Chaser Tenacity will undergo final testing and prelaunch processing inside the high bay of the SSPF ahead of its inaugural launch atop a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The reusable transportation system is contracted to perform a minimum of seven cargo missions to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s efforts to expand commercial resupply services to low Earth orbit.

Teams process Dream Chaser Tenacity, Sierra Space's uncrewed cargo spaceplane, inside the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, May 20, 2024, following its arrival from the agency's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. Dream Chaser Tenacity will undergo final testing and prelaunch processing inside the high bay of the SSPF ahead of its inaugural launch atop a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The reusable transportation system is contracted to perform a minimum of seven cargo missions to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s efforts to expand commercial resupply services to low Earth orbit.

Dream Chaser Tenacity, Sierra Space's uncrewed cargo spaceplane is processed inside the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, May 20, 2024, after arriving by truck inside a climate-controlled transportation container, completing the journey from the agency's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. Dream Chaser Tenacity will undergo final testing and prelaunch processing inside the high bay of the SSPF ahead of its inaugural launch atop a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The reusable transportation system is contracted to perform a minimum of seven cargo missions to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s efforts to expand commercial resupply services to low Earth orbit.

Dream Chaser Tenacity, Sierra Space's uncrewed cargo spaceplane is processed inside the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, May 20, 2024, after arriving by truck inside a climate-controlled transportation container, completing the journey from the agency's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. Dream Chaser Tenacity will undergo final testing and prelaunch processing inside the high bay of the SSPF ahead of its inaugural launch atop a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The reusable transportation system is contracted to perform a minimum of seven cargo missions to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s efforts to expand commercial resupply services to low Earth orbit.

Dream Chaser Tenacity, Sierra Space's uncrewed cargo spaceplane is lifted and moved by crane inside the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, May 20, 2024. Dream Chaser Tenacity will undergo final testing and prelaunch processing inside the high bay of the SSPF ahead of its inaugural launch atop a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The reusable transportation system is contracted to perform a minimum of seven cargo missions to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s efforts to expand commercial resupply services to low Earth orbit.

From left, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, participate in an Artemis II launch countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. The simulations go through launch day scenarios to help launch team members test software and make adjustments if needed during countdown operations. Artemis II 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.

The Artemis I Orion crew module, now known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), arrives to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, following an 11-month test campaign at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. The ETA will undergo propulsion functional testing at Kennedy’s Multi Payload Processing Facility. The ETA splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, following its journey around the Moon during the Artemis I mission.

The Artemis I Orion crew module, now known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), arrives to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, following an 11-month test campaign at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. The ETA will undergo propulsion functional testing at Kennedy’s Multi Payload Processing Facility. The ETA splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, following its journey around the Moon during the Artemis I mission.

The Artemis I Orion crew module, now known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), arrives to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, following an 11-month test campaign at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. The ETA will undergo propulsion functional testing at Kennedy’s Multi Payload Processing Facility. The ETA splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, following its journey around the Moon during the Artemis I mission.

The Artemis II Orion spacecraft sits in the transfer aisle in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida following successful installation of three spacecraft adapter jettison fairings on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The fairings encapsulate the service module and protect the solar array wings, shielding them from the heat, wind, and acoustics of launch and ascent, as well as help redistribute the load between Orion and the massive thrust of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket during liftoff and ascent. Once the spacecraft is above the atmosphere, the three fairing panels will separate from the service module reducing the mass of the spacecraft.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program stack the next solid rocket booster segment, the left aft center, on the for the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket onto mobile launcher 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Once assembled, the boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Artemis II crew member CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen participates in a media day event on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II crew and backup crew participated in the event days after teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems transport lifted the agency’s 212-foot-tall SLS (Space Launch System) core stage from the facility’s transfer aisle into High Bay 2 where it will remain while teams stack the two solid rocket boosters on top of mobile launcher 1.

From left, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jenni Gibbons, NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman participate in a media day event on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II crew and backup crew participated in the event days after teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems transport lifted the agency’s 212-foot-tall SLS (Space Launch System) core stage from the facility’s transfer aisle into High Bay 2 where it will remain while teams stack the two solid rocket boosters on top of mobile launcher 1.

From left, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jenni Gibbons, NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA Moon to Mars Program Deputy Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman participate in a media day event on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II crew and backup crew participated in the event days after teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems transport lifted the agency’s 212-foot-tall SLS (Space Launch System) core stage from the facility’s transfer aisle into High Bay 2 where it will remain while teams stack the two solid rocket boosters on top of mobile launcher 1.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program stack the next solid rocket booster segment, the left aft center, on the for the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket onto mobile launcher 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Once assembled, the boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

From left, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jenni Gibbons, NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA Moon to Mars Program Deputy Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman participate in a media day event on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II crew and backup crew participated in the event days after teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems transport lifted the agency’s 212-foot-tall SLS (Space Launch System) core stage from the facility’s transfer aisle into High Bay 2 where it will remain while teams stack the two solid rocket boosters on top of mobile launcher 1.

Engineers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems integrate the aerodynamic nose cone onto the right-hand forward assembly of the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for Artemis II inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. Each forward assembly contains an aerodynamic top, a forward skirt housing avionics, and frustum housing motors that allow the boosters to separate from the SLS core stage after launch. The twin solid boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program stack the next solid rocket booster segment, the left aft center, on the for the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket onto mobile launcher 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Once assembled, the boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems integrate the aerodynamic nose cone onto the left-hand forward assembly on the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for Artemis II inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. Each forward assembly contains an aerodynamic top, a forward skirt housing avionics, and frustum housing motors that allow the boosters to separate from the SLS core stage after launch. The twin solid boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

From left, Artemis II NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman participate in a media day event on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew participated in the event days after teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems transport lifted the agency’s 212-foot-tall SLS (Space Launch System) core stage from the facility’s transfer aisle into High Bay 2 where it will remain while teams stack the two solid rocket boosters on top of mobile launcher 1.

Engineers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems integrate the aerodynamic nose cone onto the left-hand forward assembly on the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for Artemis II inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. Each forward assembly contains an aerodynamic top, a forward skirt housing avionics, and frustum housing motors that allow the boosters to separate from the SLS core stage after launch. The twin solid boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program stack the next solid rocket booster segment, the left aft center, on the for the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket onto mobile launcher 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Once assembled, the boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

From left, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jenni Gibbons, NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA Moon to Mars Program Deputy Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman participate in a media day event on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II crew and backup crew participated in the event days after teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems transport lifted the agency’s 212-foot-tall SLS (Space Launch System) core stage from the facility’s transfer aisle into High Bay 2 where it will remain while teams stack the two solid rocket boosters on top of mobile launcher 1.

The Artemis II Orion spacecraft sits in the transfer aisle in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida following successful installation of three spacecraft adapter jettison fairings on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The fairings encapsulate the service module and protect the solar array wings, shielding them from the heat, wind, and acoustics of launch and ascent, as well as help redistribute the load between Orion and the massive thrust of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket during liftoff and ascent. Once the spacecraft is above the atmosphere, the three fairing panels will separate from the service module reducing the mass of the spacecraft.

Engineers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems integrate the aerodynamic nose cone onto the right-hand forward assembly of the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for Artemis II inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. Each forward assembly contains an aerodynamic top, a forward skirt housing avionics, and frustum housing motors that allow the boosters to separate from the SLS core stage after launch. The twin solid boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

The historic countdown clock by the NASA News Center at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, April 18, 2025, displays a graphic commemorating the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s midnight ride. The display is part of an initiative for all federal agencies to place two lights in a window as a symbol of the two lanterns placed in the steeple of Boston’s Old North Church used to signal to Revere and William Dawes to begin the famous midnight ride warning fellow minutemen in the Province of Massachusetts Bay that British soldiers were coming by sea.

Artemis II crew and backup crew hold a banner with NASA and industry leaders during a supplier and media day event on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II crew and backup crew participated in the event days after teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems transport lifted the agency’s 212-foot-tall SLS (Space Launch System) core stage from the facility’s transfer aisle into High Bay 2 where it will remain while teams stack the two solid rocket boosters on top of mobile launcher 1.

Engineers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems integrate the aerodynamic nose cone onto the left-hand forward assembly on the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for Artemis II inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. Each forward assembly contains an aerodynamic top, a forward skirt housing avionics, and frustum housing motors that allow the boosters to separate from the SLS core stage after launch. The twin solid boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

The Artemis II Orion spacecraft sits in the transfer aisle in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida following successful installation of three spacecraft adapter jettison fairings on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The fairings encapsulate the service module and protect the solar array wings, shielding them from the heat, wind, and acoustics of launch and ascent, as well as help redistribute the load between Orion and the massive thrust of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket during liftoff and ascent. Once the spacecraft is above the atmosphere, the three fairing panels will separate from the service module reducing the mass of the spacecraft.

Children anxiously anticipate the opening of a new playground at Kennedy Space Center’s Child Development Center on Aug. 10, 2023. The kids were able to enjoy the playground immediately following a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Children enjoy a brand new playground at Kennedy Space Center’s Child Development Center on Aug. 10, 2023. The playground officially opened following a ribbon cutting ceremony earlier in the day.

Staff members at Kennedy Space Center’s Child Development Center, along with members of the NASA Exchange, cut the ribbon to officially open a new playground at the facility on Aug. 10, 2023.

Children anxiously anticipate the opening of a new playground at Kennedy Space Center’s Child Development Center on Aug. 10, 2023. The kids were able to enjoy the playground immediately following a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Children enjoy a brand new playground at Kennedy Space Center’s Child Development Center on Aug. 10, 2023. The playground officially opened following a ribbon cutting ceremony earlier in the day.

The Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft’s pressurized cargo module for the company’s 21st commercial resupply mission is lifted and moved by a crane inside the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, June 1, 2024, as prelaunch processing operations continue. The Cygnus spacecraft will launch to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft’s pressurized cargo module for the company’s 21st commercial resupply mission is lifted and moved by a crane inside the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, June 1, 2024, as prelaunch processing operations continue. The Cygnus spacecraft will launch to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft’s pressurized cargo module for the company’s 21st commercial resupply mission is lifted and moved by a crane inside the Space Systems Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, June 1, 2024, as prelaunch processing operations continue. The Cygnus spacecraft will launch to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

A team of engineers participates in simulation training for the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The purpose of the training is to get the integrated PRIME-1 team – engineers with PRIME-1’s MSOLO (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) and Honeybee Robotics’ TRIDENT (The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain) drill – prepared to operate the instrument on the lunar surface. The team commanded the PRIME-1 hardware, located at Intuitive Machines in Houston, to operate MSOLO and TRIDENT. PRIME-1 is scheduled to launch through NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service) initiative and will be the first in-situ resource utilization demonstration on the Moon, with MSOLO and TRIDENT making up its two primary components. Through Artemis missions, CLPS deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human deep space exploration missions.

Jeremy Graeber, at left, assistant Artemis launch director, and Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, at left, NASA Artemis launch director, participate in an Artemis II launch countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The simulations go through launch day scenarios to help launch team members test software and make adjustments if needed during countdown operations. For Artemis II, four astronauts will venture around the Moon, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration through Artemis.

Members of the Artemis launch team participate in an Artemis II launch countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. The simulations go through launch day scenarios to help launch team members test software and make adjustments if needed during countdown operations. Artemis II 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.

Members of the Artemis launch team participate in an Artemis II launch countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The simulations go through launch day scenarios to help launch team members test software and make adjustments if needed during countdown operations. For Artemis II, four astronauts will venture around the Moon, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration through Artemis.

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director, Exploration Ground Systems at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, participates in an Artemis II launch countdown simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The simulations go through launch day scenarios to help launch team members test software and make adjustments if needed during countdown operations. For Artemis II, four astronauts will venture around the Moon, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration through Artemis.