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NASA’s Artemis II rocket reaches launch pad as space agency prepares first crewed mission around the moon since 1972

Posted By: Hari Ram Posted On: Jan 18, 2026Share Article
NASA’s Artemis II rocket reaches launch pad as space agency prepares first crewed mission around the moon since 1972
Artemis II rocket at it launchpad.

NASA's Artemis II rocket is now on the launch pad for a historic lunar journey. Four astronauts will travel around the moon and return. This mission is a crucial step towards future moon landings. The launch is planned for February, following a key fueling test. This marks humanity's return to lunar space after over fifty years.

NASA has moved its Space Launch System rocket to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center as it prepares for its first crewed lunar fly-around mission in more than 50 years. The Artemis II mission will carry four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon and back, with a launch possible as early as February.

The 322-foot SLS rocket will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Although the astronauts will not land on the moon, the mission is a critical step toward future crewed lunar landings planned under NASA's Artemis program. If successful, it will mark the first time humans have travelled to the moon since 1972.

The mission has faced years of delays due to earlier technical issues. NASA is expected to conduct a crucial fuelling test, known as a wet dress rehearsal, in early February before confirming an official launch date. There is a limited launch window in February, after which the mission would be delayed until March.

Artemis II rollout and launch planning

NASA rolled the SLS rocket toward its launch pad in Florida on Saturday, marking the final phase of preparations for the Artemis II mission. The rocket travelled at about one mile per hour on its mobile launch platform, emerging at sunrise from the Vehicle Assembly Building and covering roughly four miles to the launch pad as hundreds of NASA employees, contractors and family members gathered to watch.

“We truly look at that and see teamwork, we see global cooperation, we see a strong nation leading the way,” Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman told Reuters as the rocket moved toward the pad.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said the rocket “represents an extraordinary American workforce,” according to Reuters.

Reuters NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stands next to Artemis II mission's Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen during the rollout of NASA's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., January 17, 2026.
Artemis II is the second mission under NASA's multibillion-dollar Artemis moon program, following an uncrewed test flight in 2022, and the first to carry astronauts. The mission is planned to launch as soon as February 6, though the timeline depends on the outcome of the wet dress rehearsal conducted four days before the targeted launch.

“Wet dress is really the driver of the launch schedule,” Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson told Reuters, adding that additional time would be needed to review data from the rehearsal.

The February timeline may also be influenced by the launch of Crew-12, a separate mission to the International Space Station that requires overlapping resources. Artemis II has multiple launch windows extending through April, aligned with orbital mechanics needed for the lunar fly-around.

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