I had the opportunity to see NASA’s mighty Moon rocket, Artemis 2, on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center the afternoon of 23 January 2026. The planned launch in February will take four astronauts, Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day mission to orbit the Moon. This is the first crewed test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft.

The Artemis 2 SLS rocket atop Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center.

The SLS Block 1 Launch vehicle flying on Artemis 2 stands 322 feet high generating 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

This image shows the walkway the astronauts will use to enter the Orion spacecraft, which is hidden inside the Launch Abort System in this view.

One of the two Solid Rocket Boosters, each standing 177 feet tall alongside the SLS core stage.

The two solid rocket boosters operate for the first two minutes of flight, providing 75% of the total thrust required to launch the SLS.

If the Wet Dress Rehearsal scheduled for the beginning of February goes well, NASA will attempt to launch Artemis 2 sometime from 6 February to 11 February, otherwise they will have to wait until March for the Earth and the Moon to line up correctly to try again.