NASA’s crawler-transporter 2 carrying the agency’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, begins the 4.2-mile journey toward Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. NASA/Ben Smegelsky Following successful chilldown of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen lines, teams started slowly filling the SLS (Space Launch [...]
NASA/Brandon Hancock NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which will carry the Artemis II crew around the Moon, sits at the launch pad on Jan. 17, 2026, after rollout. It rests atop the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. Orion can provide living space on missions for four astronauts for up to 21 days without docking to another spacecraft. Advances [...]
NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher is seen at Launch Complex 39B, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA/Jim Ross Teams have started chilling down the liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) lines for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage. This critical step cools the [...]
The Moon is seen shining over the SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft, on top of the mobile launcher on Feb. 1, 2026. The rocket is currently at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as teams are preparing for a wet dress rehearsal to practice timelines and procedures for the [...]
NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher is seen at Launch Complex 39B, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA/Jim Ross At approximately 11:25 a.m. EST, the Artemis launch director, in coordination with the mission management team chair, gave the “go” to begin loading cryogenic liquid propellant [...]
The Sun rises as NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft stand vertical at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026.NASA/Cory S Huston The Artemis II wet dress rehearsal countdown continues as teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida began configuring the SLS (Space Launch [...]
A full Moon is seen shining over NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft, atop the mobile launcher in the early hours of February 1, 2026. The rocket is currently at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as teams are preparing for a wet dress rehearsal to practice timelines and [...]
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, are seen at Launch Pad 39B, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy [...]
Credit: NASA NASA and Axiom Space have signed an order for the fifth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch no earlier than January 2027 from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “The award of our fifth private astronaut mission shows that commercial space is not a distant promise, but [...]
3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The NASA award to SpaceWorks Enterprises will focus on research using the company’s X-60 platform. SpaceWorks While NASA is working with U.S. aviation to explore commercial supersonic technologies, the agency is also looking forward to an even faster era of flight – one of vehicles that can fly [...]
