The Artemis II rocket and spacecraft completed its journey to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, with NASA aiming for an April launch. The crewed lunar mission will send four astronauts to the moon's orbit for a 10-day mission.
The Artemis II rocket and spacecraft completed the 4-mile trek to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center on Friday morning, March 20, 2026.The 11-million-pound stack docked at Launch Pad 39B at 11:21 a.
m., according to NASA."We are gearing up for preparations ahead of launch of the crewed lunar mission," the NASA Artemis X account posted on Friday.NASA is targeting April 1 as the earliest launch date for Artemis II, though there are a total of 7 launch opportunities in April.Original story:Artemis II has left NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building and is returning to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center ahead of its next launch attempt in April.NASA targeted Thursday night–around 8 p.m.–to begin the slow, 4-mile trek to Launch Complex 39B. After a delay, the rollout began after midnight. Artemis II intends to send 4 astronauts on a 10-day mission to the moon's orbit, testing not only the capabilities of flying to deep space, but also to learn how deep space affects humans, before returning to Earth.It's a very slow stroll to the launch pad.NASA's crawler-transporter 2 will transport the 11-million-pound rig to the launch pad overnight. The transporter moves at roughly 1 mph – and it's about a 4-mile journey to the launch pad.The entire move can take up to 12 hours.According to a NASA fact-sheet, the crawler-transporter 2 is roughly the size of a baseball infield. It weighs 6.6 million pounds and can transport up to 18 million pounds. NASA has identified seven potential launch availability dates in April for the Artemis II mission. The first is April 1.NASA teams rolled back Artemis II – a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft – back to the Vehicle Assembly Building several weeks ago after an issue was found with helium flow in the rocket's upper stage.There was an issue with a seal, which has since been fixed, NASA said during a recent press conference. Technicians also made adjustments to the rocket's flight batteries and charging system batteries on the Orion capsule. The Artemis mission is a series of at least 5 space flights whose goal is to land astronauts on the moon.NASA said it then envisions yearly launches.These are the four astronauts that will be part of the Artemis II mission:The astronauts began their pre-flight quarantine on Wednesday, March 18, in Houston, Texas. They will remain in Houston until roughly a week before launch, where they will fly to Florida.
Artemis II NASA Launch Moon Spacecraft
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Watch NASA roll out Artemis 2 moon rocket tonight ahead of April 1 launchMichael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, 'Out There,' was published on Nov. 13, 2018.
Read more »
Repaired Artemis II moon rocket heads back to pad for April 1 launch tryAfter an overnight Thursday trip back out to the launch pad, NASA's Artemis II rocket will be readied for a historic flight to the moon.
Read more »
NASA's Artemis II rocket rolls to launch pad in final bid to meet April deadlineBen Turner is a U.K. based writer and editor at Live Science. He covers physics and astronomy, tech and climate change. He graduated from University College London with a degree in particle physics before training as a journalist. When he's not writing, Ben enjoys reading literature, playing the guitar and embarrassing himself with chess.
Read more »
Artemis II Rocket Arrives at Launch Pad, Paving the Way for Crewed Lunar FlybyNASA's Artemis II rocket and Orion spacecraft have arrived at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, marking a crucial step towards the first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years. The mission, carrying four astronauts, faces a potential launch window starting April 1st, following delays caused by technical issues encountered during a wet dress rehearsal. Astronauts are currently in prelaunch quarantine, preparing for the historic journey beyond the moon.
Read more »
NASA Artemis II: Rocket arrives at Kennedy Space Center launch padThe Artemis II rocket and spacecraft completed the 4-mile trek to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center on Friday morning, March 20, 2026.
Read more »
Artemis II Rocket Arrives at Launch Pad for April Launch AttemptThe Artemis II rocket and spacecraft completed its journey to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, with NASA targeting April 1 as the earliest launch date for the crewed lunar mission. The rocket, along with the Orion spacecraft, is set to send four astronauts on a 10-day mission to the moon's orbit.
Read more »