spacetoday.net: Artemis 2 rolls out to pad

Posted: Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 8:08 AM ET (1308 GMT)
Artemis 2 rollout (J. Foust)

NASA rolled out the SLS/Orion stack for the Artemis 2 mission Saturday in preparation for a launch as soon as early February. The vehicle, mounted on its mobile launch platform, left the Vehicle Assembly Building just after 7 am EST (1200 GMT), arriving at Launch Complex 39B nearly 12 hours later. The mission will be the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA says it is working towards a launch between February 6 and 11, but cautioned that schedule depends on progress they make at the pad, including a wet dress rehearsal. NASA does not plan to set a formal launch date until after that countdown test. There are additional launch opportunities in early March and April.