NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket: Florida Moonrise & Sunset | Kennedy Space Center
Artemis II Mission emblem
The Moon rises and the sun sets as NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft stand vertical at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026.
Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal Updates for February 2, 2026:
Core Stage Liquid Hydrogen in Topping Mode
NASA teams have completed filling the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with liquid hydrogen and transitioned to topping mode. Topping ensures the tank reaches its full capacity with super-cold liquid hydrogen chilled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit.
Engineers continue to watch the leak at the interface of the tail service mast umbilical, but the liquid hydrogen concentration in the umbilical remains within acceptable limits.
Teams began chilling down the liquid hydrogen lines for the interim cryogenic propulsion stage of NASA’s SLS rocket. This critical step cools the propellant lines ahead of loading super-cold liquid hydrogen, chilled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit, into the SLS’s upper stage tank.
The chilldown process ensures the hardware is properly conditioned for cryogenic temperatures, reducing thermal shock and safeguarding system integrity. Once complete, teams will transition to fast fill of liquid hydrogen, followed by liquid oxygen operations later in the countdown.
During the Artemis II mission, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, powered by an RL10 engine, will provide the in-space boost needed to send the Orion spacecraft into high Earth orbit before its translunar injection burn.
United Launch Alliance (ULA) under a collaborative partnership with Boeing, built the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) upper stage of the SLS rocket.
Learn about United Launch Alliance's ICPS:
Read more about NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket: nasa.gov/sls
NASA Artemis II Mission page:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/
Follow NASA updates on the Artemis Program blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/
Image Credit: United Launch Alliance (ULA)
Date: Jan. 27, 2026
Date: Jan. 27, 2026
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