SLS Has Returned to its Pad for a Flight Attempt on April 1...

NASA / Aubrey Gemignani

NASA’s Artemis II Rocket Arrives at Launch Complex 39B (News Release)

At 11:21 a.m. EDT on Friday, March 20, NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived at Launch Complex (LC)-39B after an 11-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 began its 4-mile trek with the integrated SLS and Orion stacked on top of the Mobile Launcher at 12:20 a.m. EDT. Moving at a maximum speed of just 0.82 mph, the crawler carried the 322-foot-tall Moon rocket and spacecraft slowly and steadily toward the pad.

Now that the rocket is at LC-39B, NASA teams are gearing up for the final stretch of prelaunch preparations ahead of launch as soon as Wednesday, April 1. The early April launch window includes opportunities through Monday, April 6.

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Christina Koch of NASA, along with CSA’s (Canadian Space Agency) Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen will embark on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.

As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, Artemis II is another step towards new U.S.-crewed missions to the Moon’s surface, leading to a sustained presence on the Moon that will help the agency prepare to send astronauts to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

SLS Is on its Way Back to LC-39B...

NASA / Joel Kowsky

Artemis II Moon Rocket Heads Back to Launch Pad (News Release)

NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft slated to send four astronauts around the Moon began rolling to Launch Complex 39B at 12:20 a.m. EDT on Friday, March 20. Rollout operations at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida were delayed earlier in the day due to high winds in the area.

The trek to the pad is expected to take up to 12 hours, as NASA’s Crawler-Transporter 2 carefully carries the rocket on top of the Mobile Launcher approximately 4 miles along the crawlerway. A live feed of the rollout is available on NASA’s YouTube channel.

Following a successful wet dress rehearsal on February 21, teams identified an issue preventing helium from flowing to the rocket’s upper stage, prompting a return to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) where the issue was repaired.

While the rocket and spacecraft were in the VAB, engineers also refreshed and retested several systems on the rocket. Engineers activated a new set of flight termination system batteries, replaced other batteries on the upper stage, core stage, and solid rocket boosters, and charged Orion’s launch abort system batteries. Engineers also replaced a seal on the core stage liquid oxygen feed line and reassembled and retested the oxygen tail service mast umbilical plate to confirm a tight seal interface.

Artemis II will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on an approximately 10-day mission around the Moon and back, marking the first crewed flight of the Artemis program.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Joel Kowsky

SLS Will Return to the Pad a Week from Today for its Second Moon Mission Next Month!

NASA / Aubrey Gemignani

Artemis II Flight Readiness Polls Go to Proceed Toward April Launch (News Release)

NASA completed the agency’s Artemis II Flight Readiness Review on Thursday, March 12, and polled “go” to proceed towards launch. NASA is targeting Thursday, March 19, to roll the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Complex 39B in advance of a launch attempt on Wednesday, April 1, pending closeout of remaining open work.

Agency leaders provided updates about the outcome of the readiness review in a news conference.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA

The Latest Update on the Next Flight of SLS, as Well as the Moon Rockets for Artemis 4 and Beyond...

NASA / Reid Wiseman

NASA to Share Artemis II Flight Readiness Review Update (News Release)

NASA will host a news conference at 3 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 12, to highlight progress towards the Artemis II crewed mission around the Moon. The media briefing will take place from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after the conclusion of an Artemis II Flight Readiness Review.

The news conference will stream live on the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media, as available.

NASA participants include:

-- Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate
-- John Honeycutt, chair, Artemis II Mission Management Team
-- Shawn Quinn, manager, Exploration Ground Systems Program
-- Norm Knight, director, Flight Operations Directorate

This event is open in-person for media previously credentialed at NASA Kennedy for the Artemis II launch. To participate virtually, media must RSVP for call details no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of the event to the newsroom at NASA Kennedy: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. NASA’s media credentialing policy is online.

NASA is continuing work on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft in NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building before a second rollout to the launch pad later this month ahead of a potential launch in April.

As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA selects Centaur for new SLS upper stage https://t.co/Oukev31R9S pic.twitter.com/Uo45P9EWIw

— SpaceNews (@SpaceNews_Inc) March 6, 2026

On Friday afternoon, a new contract was published that confirms NASA's selection of @ulalaunch Vulcan upper stage, the Centaur V, as the new upper stage of the Space Launch System rocket beginning with the Artemis IV mission.

Document: https://t.co/LvsPpzBVs3 pic.twitter.com/Y0RapZFgVc

— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) March 6, 2026

The HTV-X1 Is Now Flying Freely in Low-Earth Orbit...

NASA

Canadian Robotic Arm Releases Japan’s Spacecraft for Departure (News Release)

At 12 p.m. EST, JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s) HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft was released from the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, which earlier detached it from the Earth-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Harmony module. At the time of release, the station was flying about 260 miles over the Pacific Ocean.

The HTV-X1 spacecraft successfully departed the station more than four months after arriving to deliver over 9,000 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, commercial products, hardware and other cargo for NASA and its international partners.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA+

Japan's Newest Space Freighter Is Ready to Depart from the ISS...

NASA

Canadarm2 Grips Cargo Spacecraft, Spacewalk Prep and Biology Continue (News Release)

A JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) cargo spacecraft is in the grasp of the Canadarm2 robotic arm following its detachment from the International Space Station’s Harmony module on Thursday. The Expedition 74 crew continued its spacewalk preparations, transferred more cargo, and conducted biology research throughout the day.

The HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft was uninstalled from Harmony with Canadarm2 at 2:26 p.m. EST on Thursday and maneuvered to an overnight parking position. During the crew’s sleep shift, Japanese mission controllers will conduct a laser-ranging sensor demonstration test with HTV-X1 still held by the robotic arm.

Then at 12 p.m. EST on Friday, robotics controllers will command the Canadarm2 to release HTV-X1 into Earth orbit. The spacecraft will remain at a safe distance from the station for approximately three months while conducting a series of remotely-controlled science experiments. NASA will broadcast the release live, beginning at 11:45 a.m. Friday on NASA+, Amazon Prime and the agency’s YouTube channel.

While robotic operations continued outside the space station, the astronauts pressed ahead with spacewalk preparations. NASA flight engineers Jessica Meir, Chris Williams and Jack Hathaway gathered together and reviewed the tools and equipment required to install a modification kit and route cables for a future roll-out solar array on the port side of the orbital outpost. NASA will soon announce the date and name the two spacewalkers who will exit the station’s Quest airlock into the vacuum of space for the roll-out solar array preparation work.

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot began her shift packing cargo for disposal inside Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft attached to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port. Cygnus will conclude its mission soon at the orbital outpost that began on September 18 with its robotic capture and installation to Unity. Adenot also worked in the Kibo laboratory module removing computer and electronics hardware for stowage and later reuse.

Cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev teamed up early Thursday for a Roscosmos digestion study. Shortly after waking, the duo scanned their stomachs with an ultrasound device before eating their breakfast. After their meal, the station commander and flight engineer repeated the stomach scans helping researchers understand how the digestive system adapts to weightlessness.

Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev kicked off his shift servicing the Elektron oxygen generator and its components in the station’s Roscosmos segment. Fedyaev then inspected video recording gear, downloaded video and imagery for mission controllers, and installed automated Earth observation hardware to capture imagery of islands across the Asia-Pacific region.

Source: NASA.Gov

The Latest Update on Artemis 2 as It Gears Up for a Potential Launch Next Month...

NASA / Kim Shiflett

NASA Repairs Upper Stage Helium Flow, Preps Continue Ahead of Rollout (News Release)

With NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians have accessed the launch vehicle stage adapter to inspect components that prevented helium from flowing to the upper stage after a February 21 wet dress rehearsal.

Engineers determined that a seal in the quick disconnect, through which helium flows from the ground systems to the rocket, was obstructing the pathway. The team removed the quick disconnect, reassembled the system, and began validating the repairs to the upper stage by running a reduced flow rate of helium through the mechanism to ensure that the issue was resolved. Engineers are assessing what allowed the seal to become dislodged to prevent the issue from recurring.

While the upper stage repair has been underway, technicians have also been working to refresh other systems on the rocket. They are activating a new set of flight termination system batteries ahead of end-to-end retesting of the system and are also replacing the flight batteries on the upper stage, core stage, and solid rocket boosters, and charging the Orion launch abort system batteries. Work to replace a seal on the core stage liquid oxygen line feed system began on March 2.

Once complete, teams will reassemble the oxygen tail service mast umbilical plate and perform various integrity tests to ensure that the seal interface is tight.

Work on the rocket and spacecraft will continue in the coming weeks as NASA prepares for rolling the rocket out to the launch pad again later this month ahead of a potential launch in April.

Source: NASA.Gov