Camera View: SLS Upper Stage Separation | NASA Artemis II Orion Spacecraft

Camera View: SLS Upper Stage Separation | NASA Artemis II Orion Spacecraft

[No audio] A view from cameras on the exterior of the Orion spacecraft of the jettisoning of the upper stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, or the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, that helped push it into high Earth orbit following a 6:35 p.m. EDT liftoff on April 1, 2026. The upper stage was used as a reference target during Orion’s proximity operations demonstration, before performing one last burn to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

The SLS interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) is an in-space rocket stage that provides propulsion to the Orion spacecraft. Measuring 45 ft. (13.7 m) tall and 16.7 ft. (5.1 m) in diameter, the ICPS provides in-space propulsion after the SLS solid rocket boosters and core stage are jettisoned. This propulsion is provided by the RL10 engine that uses a liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen-based system.

Track NASA’s Artemis II Mission in real time:
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis-ii/arow/

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist onboard, was successfully launched on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, for the Artemis II Mission from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA’s Artemis II Mission is taking Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft.

Check the Artemis blog for updates: 

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

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Date: April 3, 2026
Duration: 1 minute, 19 seconds

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #ICPS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #JeremyHansen #CSA #Canada #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video