NASA's Artemis II rocket is rolling out for its big Moon mission
NASA's Artemis II rocket and Orion spacecraft are making their slow, 4-mile trip to the launch pad this Saturday—a key step before the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years, set for February 2026.
Meet the crew heading around the Moon
Commanded by Reid Wiseman with Victor Glover as pilot, and Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen as mission specialists, this team will spend about 10 days flying 7564km beyond the Moon—no landing this time.
Their job: test Orion's systems in deep space to prep for future lunar landings.
Key dates and what's next
Artemis II could launch as soon as February 6, with backup dates through March and April if needed.
Before liftoff, NASA will do a major "wet dress rehearsal" in late January—basically a full countdown practice with over 700,000 gallons of fuel—to make sure everything's ready to go.