Artemis II: The Slow, Careful Move to the Moon Launch Pad

On January 17, 2026, at 6:42 p.m. Eastern, NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System and the Orion crew capsule reached Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center after a nearly twelve-hour, four-mile transfer from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The move was executed slowly by Crawler-Transporter 2, which carried the 11-million-pound stack at a maximum of 0.82 miles per hour, and teams paused during the trip to reposition the crew access arm and confirm pad systems.

In the weeks ahead, engineers will perform a wet dress rehearsal at the end of January, during which cryogenic propellants will be loaded and a countdown will be practiced; if anomalies are found, additional rehearsals may be required and the vehicle could be rolled back to the VAB for further work. The mobile launcher and tower have been reinforced and outfitted with updated safety systems since Artemis I, and pad teams will validate flight termination and emergency egress equipment before the crew arrives.

Four crew members — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — are scheduled to fly an approximately 10-day mission that will loop around the Moon on a free-return trajectory before returning to Earth. The launch window opens as early as February 6, 2026, and mission managers will confirm a definitive launch date only after wet dress rehearsal results and readiness assessments are complete.

The flight will test Orion’s life support and communications systems, which are needed for later lunar landings, and success would help pave the way for Artemis III. If the mission completes its objectives, managers will advance plans for crewed lunar surface missions.