NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket: Upper Stage Separation

NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket: Upper Stage Separation

The white shell of the upper stage of the Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket breaks away from the Orion spacecraft, revealing Orion's thrusters that can be seen firing bursts of white mist.

NASA’s 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 launched on the Artemis II mission from Launch Complex 39B, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 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. They are now over three-quarters of the way to the Moon.

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

Check the Artemis blog for updates: 

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

Video Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Duration: 21 seconds

Date: April 1, 2026

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