NASA's towering Artemis II rocket, carrying the Orion spacecraft, reached Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, January 17, 2026. This critical step moves the mission closer to its target launch window, opening as early as February 6, 2026, for the first crewed lunar orbit in over five decades. The fully stacked Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule are now poised for final testing before carrying four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon.[evrimagaci+2]
Journey to the Pad Completed
The massive Artemis II stack began its slow, 4-mile trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) early Saturday morning.NASA's crawler-transporter 2 moved the 11-million-pound (3.5 million pounds for the rocket and capsule) assembly at a top speed of just 0.82 miles per hour.The journey took nearly 12 hours to complete, arriving at Launch Pad 39B at 6:42 p.m. EST.This complex operation marked a major milestone for the mission.The VAB, a facility so large it could hold three-and-a-half Empire State Buildings, served as the assembly point for the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.Assembly of the rocket and spacecraft began in November 2024, with stacking completed in October 2025.[forbes+11]
Critical Wet Dress Rehearsal Next
With the rocket now at the launch pad, engineers will prepare it for a crucial "wet dress rehearsal."This test is targeted for no later than February 2.During the two-day rehearsal, teams will load over 700,000 gallons of cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the rocket's tanks.They will then run through a full launch countdown, stopping just 29 seconds before the engines would ignite.This practice run will also include safely draining the propellants.The success of this rehearsal is essential for determining the final launch date.[forbes+13]
"We need to get through wet dress, we need to see what lessons we learn as a result of that, and that will ultimately lay out our path toward launch," Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said.She added that if the wet dress rehearsal goes smoothly, launch opportunities within February could be achievable.If issues arise, NASA may roll the SLS and Orion back to the VAB for additional work.[mashable+2]
Mission to the Moon and Beyond
Artemis II will be the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft and the first time humans have traveled to the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.The 10-day mission will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.They will not land on the lunar surface.Instead, the crew will perform vital systems checks while orbiting Earth and then venture thousands of kilometers beyond the Moon.The mission will test the spacecraft's life-support, propulsion, power, and navigation systems.[evrimagaci+10]
The astronauts will also manually fly the Orion capsule to practice maneuvers needed for future lunar landings.Christina Koch will become the first woman to orbit the Moon, and Jeremy Hansen the first non-American to do so."We're going to fly when we're ready," said John Honeycutt, chairperson of the Artemis II mission management team.He emphasized that his primary job is the safe return of the crew.[evrimagaci+7]
Paving the Way for Future Lunar Exploration
Artemis II builds on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022.It serves as a critical pathfinder for Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts near the Moon's South Pole as early as 2027.The overall Artemis program seeks to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon.This lunar presence will help NASA prepare to send the first astronauts to Mars.The mission's trajectory will take the crew more than 230,000 miles from Earth, looping around the far side of the Moon before returning.During this journey, the crew will also test Orion's radiation shelter.[skyatnightmagazine+7]
The successful rollout to Launch Pad 39B marks a significant moment in humanity's renewed journey back to the Moon.[evrimagaci+1]
