CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, January 17, 2026, 17:17 (EST)
- NASA rolled its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B, gearing up for final tests before the Artemis II crewed moon flyby.
- The planned launch on Feb. 6 depends on completing a full fueling and countdown test, called a “wet dress rehearsal.”
- Artemis II plans to send four astronauts on a roughly 10-day journey orbiting the moon, marking the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo.
On Saturday, NASA moved its massive Space Launch System rocket to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, pushing forward with preparations for Artemis II, the agency’s first crewed mission in the Artemis moon program. (Reuters)
This shift is crucial because it changes the focus from factory assembly to pad operations — where timelines compress and weather becomes a key factor. Artemis II aims to send humans around the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, with NASA targeting a February launch if the rocket and ground systems hold up.
This marks the first crewed flight of both the SLS rocket and Orion capsule, critical hardware NASA must validate before attempting a lunar landing on a future Artemis mission. NASA has positioned Artemis as the initial step toward establishing a lasting presence on the moon and, ultimately, sending humans to Mars.
NASA reported the four-mile journey kicked off at 7:04 a.m. Saturday and could stretch up to 12 hours. The 11-million-pound rocket stack crawled along at roughly 1 mile per hour on its transporter. (Nasa)
At sunrise, employees and contractors stood along the route as the 322-foot rocket slowly rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building. “We truly look at that and see teamwork,” mission commander Reid Wiseman told reporters, describing it as “global cooperation.”
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, among the four crew members on board, described the moving vehicle as a testament to “an extraordinary American workforce.”
After the rocket is positioned on the pad, NASA will conduct a “wet dress rehearsal”—a full countdown run that involves loading propellants—to uncover any issues before the actual launch. Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson noted this rehearsal will set the pace, since teams require time to analyze the results.
Sky News reports NASA has pinpointed launch windows on Feb. 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11. Should the February dates miss the mark, further opportunities will arise in March and April. (Sky)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the mission a “momentous step forward for human spaceflight” in a statement this week, adding it would carry humans “farther from Earth than ever before.” (Nasa)
The timetable remains tight, with NASA warning that rollout and pad work could still face delays from technical glitches or Florida’s unpredictable weather. Technicians recently tackled a bent cable linked to the rocket’s flight termination system — designed to destroy the vehicle if it strays off course — as well as a faulty valve and leaks in oxygen-handling gear, the Guardian reported. (Theguardian)
The Artemis II crew — Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Hansen — will spend roughly 10 days orbiting the moon and returning to Earth. The mission won’t include a landing. Instead, NASA plans to use the flight to test Orion’s systems and crew operations in deep space ahead of a future landing attempt.
Artemis is just one piece in a larger race for lunar access. NASA’s south-pole landing hinges on a different lunar lander, built outside the SLS-Orion setup, and delays on that front have already pushed schedules tight. At the same time, China has openly declared its aim to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, ramping up the pressure on Washington to deliver results.
