Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program attach the Orion stage adapter to the interim cryogenic propulsion stage atop the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket inside Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2025. During the Artemis II test flight, the Orion stage adapter separates from the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, deploying four science payloads into high-Earth orbit. Up next, the Orion spacecraft and its launch abort system will stack atop the Orion stage adapter to complete integration and prepare for the launch of four astronauts around the Moon and back in early 2026.