Artemis II Rocket Rolls Out, Paving the Way for Moon Mission

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – January 15, 2026 – In a monumental step for the next generation of human spaceflight, NASA is preparing to roll its towering Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, crowned with the Orion spacecraft, to its launch pad. The slow, deliberate journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B, slated to begin as early as January 17, marks the final major ground operation before the historic Artemis II mission sends four astronauts on a flight around the Moon.

This rollout is more than just moving hardware; it's a tangible symbol of humanity's imminent return to deep space. The mission represents the first crewed flight of the Artemis program and the first time astronauts will venture to the lunar vicinity since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Onboard will be a crew marking several historic firsts: NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover (the first person of color on a lunar mission), Mission Specialist Christina Koch (the first woman), and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, who will become the first non-American to travel to the Moon.

Over the next several days, a series of media events will highlight the milestone, including a technical briefing with mission leadership and a media availability with the crew and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. While some events are restricted to accredited media, key moments of the rollout are expected to be livestreamed, allowing the world to witness the dawn of a new lunar era.

A Crucial Test for a New Generation

Artemis II is fundamentally a crewed test flight, a rigorous 10-day shakedown cruise designed to validate every system on the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft before NASA commits to landing astronauts on the lunar surface with Artemis III. The mission will not land on the Moon but will instead execute a lunar flyby, looping around the far side of the Moon and venturing thousands of miles beyond it before returning to Earth.

This flight path is crucial for testing Orion's capabilities in the harsh environment of deep space, far from the protection of Earth's magnetosphere. The crew will meticulously evaluate the spacecraft's life support systems, navigation, communications, and propulsion over the course of the mission. A key objective involves the crew taking manual control of the spacecraft to perform proximity operations, using the spent upper stage of the rocket as a target. This test is vital for proving the manual piloting capabilities required for future rendezvous and docking maneuvers with the planned Lunar Gateway station.

The mission builds directly on the lessons from the uncrewed Artemis I flight in late 2022, which successfully sent an empty Orion capsule on a similar trajectory. While that mission was a resounding success, post-flight analysis revealed unexpected erosion on the capsule's heat shield. This discovery prompted an intensive investigation and ultimately delayed the Artemis II launch from its earlier 2024 target to ensure all systems are perfectly understood and crew safety is paramount. The current launch is targeted for no earlier than February 2026.

Canada's Leap to the Moon

The inclusion of Jeremy Hansen on the Artemis II crew marks a watershed moment for the Canadian Space Agency and a point of immense national pride for Canada. His presence transforms the mission into a truly international endeavor and underscores Canada's long-standing and critical partnership with NASA in human spaceflight.

Hansen, a CSA astronaut selected in 2009, will serve as a Mission Specialist, playing an integral role in testing and monitoring the Orion vehicle's systems alongside his American colleagues. His historic flight is the result of a treaty between the U.S. and Canada that solidified Canada's commitment to the future of lunar exploration.

Canada's contribution extends far beyond a single seat. The nation is developing Canadarm3, a sophisticated robotic arm destined for the Lunar Gateway, the orbital outpost that will support long-term missions on the Moon. This next-generation robotic system will be essential for maintaining the station, inspecting the exterior, relocating modules, and supporting astronauts during spacewalks. Canada's investment in the Gateway secured seats for its astronauts on future Artemis missions, cementing its role as a key partner in humanity's expansion into the solar system.

The Colossus on the Move

The process of moving the 322-foot-tall SLS rocket is an engineering spectacle in itself. The massive vehicle, fully assembled with the Orion spacecraft, will be carried upright atop the Crawler-Transporter 2. This behemoth vehicle, roughly the size of a baseball infield, will inch along the gravel path from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B at a top speed of about one mile per hour. The four-mile journey is expected to take up to 12 hours, a slow and steady procession for the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA.

Once the rocket is secured at the pad, teams will perform the final series of checkouts and rehearsals. This includes the critical "wet dress rehearsal," a full-scale simulation of the launch countdown where the rocket's core and upper stages are loaded with more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. This test verifies the performance of the rocket, the launch pad systems, and the ground crews under real-life conditions.

Given the complexity of the vehicle and the overriding priority of crew safety, mission managers have emphasized that the schedule remains fluid. The "no earlier than" language in official announcements reflects the reality of spaceflight, where technical glitches or unfavorable weather can, and often do, cause delays. Every component must be perfect before committing four lives to a journey into deep space.

As the colossal rocket makes its way to the pad, it carries more than just the Orion spacecraft. It carries the legacy of the Apollo program and the ambition of a new, more diverse, and more collaborative generation of explorers. The slow crawl to the launch pad is the first step on a 10-day, half-million-mile journey that will test the limits of modern technology and pave the way for humanity's sustainable return to the Moon and eventual first steps on Mars.