NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket Rollback to Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building

NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket Rollback to Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building

NASA’s crawler-transporter 2, carrying NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft secured to mobile launcher 1, rolled back from Launch Complex 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to troubleshoot the flow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Once complete, the SLS rocket will return to Launch Complex 39B. A revised launch window has not yet been confirmed.

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 

Artemis II will pave the way for new U.S. crewed missions on the lunar surface in preparation to send the first astronauts to Mars. 

Read more about NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket: nasa.gov/sls

Learn about United Launch Alliance's ICPS:

https://www.ulalaunch.com/interim-cryogenic-propulsion-stage-(icps)

NASA Artemis II Mission page updates:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Artemis Program blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett/Brandon Hancock/John Kraus/Cory S Huston
Dates: Jan. 28-Feb. 25, 2026

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