NASA is preparing to roll the fully stacked SLS rocket and Orion capsule to Launch Pad 39B as it closes in on Artemis 2, the agency’s first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. The 10-day mission will carry four astronauts on a flyaround that will send Orion about 4,700 miles beyond the far side of the moon to validate systems for future landings. NASA has named three launch periods between Jan. 31 and Apr. 10, with specific short windows in February, March and early April. Teams will complete a wet dress rehearsal and a flight readiness review before a final launch date is chosen.
Artemis 2 Nears Launch: NASA Rolls Out SLS Stack and Names Flight Windows for Moon Flyaround
Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander captures its shadow on the moon's surface after completing a successful landing March 2 near a volcanic feature on the moon called Mons Latreille. The vehicle became the first of two landers manufactured by a U.S. company to reach the moon is 2025 in crucial missions to lay the groundwork for NASA to return humans to the lunar surface in the years ahead.
The United States is moving swiftly toward its first crewed moon mission in more than half a century. In the coming days, NASA plans to roll the fully stacked Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Lockheed Martin-built Orion capsule to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida as final preparations accelerate for the Artemis 2 lunar flyaround.
What Artemis 2 Will Do
Artemis 2 will carry four astronauts on a roughly 10-day mission to circle the moon and validate systems and procedures needed for future lunar surface landings. The Orion capsule is expected to travel about 4,700 miles beyond the far side of the moon before returning to Earth. The crew will not land on the surface, but their flight will be a critical end-to-end test of crewed operations in cislunar space.
The Vehicle And The Rollout
The combined stack stands about 322 feet tall. Boeing and Northrop Grumman built the SLS, while Lockheed Martin built the Orion crew capsule. Once the capsule is mated to the SLS, the integrated vehicle will be moved — a roughly four-mile journey that could begin as soon as Saturday, Jan. 17 — on NASA’s crawler-transporter to Launch Pad 39B. The rollout typically takes several hours; teams will then connect cryogenic propellant lines and conduct pad checks, including a pad ignition test to verify hardware and systems operation.
Launch Windows And Prelaunch Tests
NASA has identified three launch periods that align with the moon’s orbit and the mission’s trajectory and safety requirements. Launch opportunities fall in short windows within those periods; mission managers will pick a final target date after a wet dress rehearsal and a flight readiness review.
Wet Dress Rehearsal: The SLS will be loaded with roughly 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants and subjected to a full simulated countdown.
Launch Periods And Opportunities
- Jan. 31–Feb. 14 — Opportunities: Feb. 6–8 and Feb. 10–11
- Feb. 28–March 13 — Opportunities: March 6–9 and March 11
- March 27–April 10 — Opportunities: April 1 and April 3–6
“We have important steps remaining on our path to launch and crew safety will remain our top priority at every turn, as we near humanity’s return to the moon,” said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, in a Jan. 9 statement.
The Crew
The Artemis 2 crew comprises NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Koch and Glover are the first woman and first African American, respectively, assigned to a NASA lunar mission; Hansen would become the first Canadian to fly near the moon.
Why Artemis Matters
The Artemis campaign aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon — focused on the lunar south pole where water ice may be abundant — to support science and to serve as a stepping stone for future crewed missions to Mars. The program also unfolds amid intensifying global competition in lunar exploration.
As teams complete the wet dress rehearsal and flight readiness review, NASA will announce the final launch date. Artemis 2 follows Artemis 1, which launched Nov. 16, 2022, as an uncrewed test of Orion and the SLS.
Reporting note: This article was adapted from a USA TODAY report and consolidated for clarity and readability.
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