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Artemis II Reaches Pad 39B for Final Tests Before Possible February Launch

A fueling rehearsal will set the launch date for the crewed lunar flyby.

Image
The Orion crew capsule exits the vehicle assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., January 17, 2026. Launch around the moon and back is scheduled for no earlier than February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, are seen as they make the 4.2 mile journey toward Launch Pad 39B, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are seen illuminated by lights at Launch Complex 39B, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Overview

  • NASA rolled the 322-foot SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft four miles to Launch Complex 39B, completing a roughly 12-hour crawl to begin pad integration and system checkouts.
  • A full wet dress rehearsal, including cryogenic propellant loading and countdown simulations, is scheduled no later than Feb. 2 and is the primary driver for any early February launch attempt.
  • If the test data are acceptable, Artemis II could target dates in the Feb. 6–11 window, with additional opportunities in March and April should the schedule shift.
  • The 10-day mission will carry Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen on a free‑return around the Moon to validate Orion’s life‑support, communications and navigation systems without a lunar landing.
  • Engineers aim to confirm fixes to propellant loading hardware and procedures refined after Artemis I leak issues, as NASA also weighs resource deconfliction with an accelerated Crew‑12 ISS flight following Crew‑11’s early medical return.