NASA's SLS rocket and Orion capsule rolled to launch pad for Artemis II, a crewed Moon flyby mission set for February 2026.

NASA's Space Launch System rocket, standing 322 feet tall and weighing 11 million pounds, rolled out from Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B on January 17, 2026, marking a major step toward the Artemis II mission. The slow, 4-mile journey, lasting up to 12 hours, brought the rocket and Orion crew capsule to the pad for final preparations, including a wet dress rehearsal involving fueling and a simulated countdown. The mission, scheduled for launch as early as February 2026, will send astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day flyby of the Moon—without landing—making them the first humans to travel to the Moon since 1972. This crewed flight will test Orion’s systems and prepare for future lunar landings under NASA’s Artemis program.