South Korea's CubeSat Is Now Attached to the Orion Stage Adapter for the Next SLS Flight...

NASA / Frank Michaux

Artemis II Secondary Payloads Blog and Photos (Photo Release)

Technicians install the Korea AeroSpace Administration's (KASA) K-Rad Cube within the Orion stage adapter inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida - on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

The K-Rad Cube, about the size of a shoebox, is one of the CubeSats slated to fly on NASA’s Artemis II test flight in 2026.

Deploying in high-Earth orbit from a spacecraft adapter on NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket after Orion is safely flying on its own with its crew of four astronauts, K-Rad Cube will use a dosimeter made of material designed to mimic human tissue to measure space radiation and assess biological effects at various altitudes across the Van Allen radiation belts, a critical area of research for human presence at the Moon and Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Frank Michaux


NASA / Frank Michaux


NASA / Frank Michaux

The Latest Update on the Fourth SLS Rocket...

NASA / Cory Huston

Artemis IV Engine Section in the VAB Transfer Aisle (Photo Release - August 27)

Teams at Kennedy Space Center in Florida transported the fourth core stage engine section from the spaceport’s Space Systems Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building in August 2025.

The flight hardware will remain in the facility’s transfer aisle until teams lift the section into High Bay 2 for assembly and integration with the remaining core stage elements.

Artemis will pave the way for a long-term human presence on the lunar surface while ushering in the Golden Age of Innovation and Exploration.

Source: NASA.Gov

A South Korean CubeSat Will Also Be Ready to Fly on the Next SLS Rocket...

NASA / Frank Michaux

Artemis II Payload Integration (Photo Release - August 27)

Inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, technicians with the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) completed closeouts on the K-Rad Cube, one of several international CubeSats slated to fly on NASA’s Artemis II test flight in 2026.

Deploying in high-Earth orbit from a spacecraft adapter on NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket after Orion is safely flying on its own with its crew of four astronauts, K-Rad Cube will use a dosimeter made of material designed to mimic human tissue to measure space radiation and assess biological effects at various altitudes across the Van Allen radiation belts, a critical area of research for human presence at the Moon and Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Frank Michaux


NASA / Frank Michaux


NASA / Frank Michaux

A Saudi Arabian CubeSat Will Soon Be Ready to Fly on the Next SLS Rocket...

NASA / Frank Michaux

Artemis II Payload Integration (Photo Release - August 26)

Inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, a technician inspects the Saudi Space Agency’s Space Weather CubeSat, one of several international CubeSats slated to fly on NASA’s Artemis II test flight in 2026.

Deploying in high-Earth orbit from a spacecraft adapter on NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket after Orion is safely flying on its own with its crew of four astronauts, the CubeSat will measure aspects of space weather – space radiation, solar X-rays, solar energetic particles, and magnetic fields – at a range of distances from Earth.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Frank Michaux

The Latest Update on Orion's First Crewed Lunar Flight...

NASA

NASA Seeks Volunteers to Track Artemis II Mission (News Release)

NASA seeks volunteers to passively track the Artemis II Orion spacecraft as the crewed mission travels to the Moon and back to Earth.

The Artemis II test flight, a launch of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, 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.

The mission, targeted for no later than April 2026, will rely on NASA’s Near Space Network and Deep Space Network for primary communications and tracking support throughout its launch, orbit and reentry. However, with a growing focus on commercialization, NASA wants to further understand industry’s tracking capabilities.

This collaboration opportunity builds upon a previous request released by NASA’s SCaN (Space Communication and Navigation) Program during the Artemis I mission, where ten volunteers successfully tracked the uncrewed Orion spacecraft in 2022 on its journey thousands of miles beyond the Moon and back.

During the Artemis I mission, participants – ranging from international space agencies, academic institutions, commercial companies, nonprofits and private citizens – attempted to receive Orion’s signal and use their respective ground antennas to track and measure changes in the radio waves transmitted by Orion.

“By offering this opportunity to the broader aerospace community, we can identify available tracking capabilities outside the government,” said Kevin Coggins, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for SCaN at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This data will help inform our transition to a commercial-first approach, ultimately strengthening the infrastructure needed to support Artemis missions and our long-term Moon to Mars objectives.”

Read the opportunity announcement here
Responses are due by 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, October 27.

NASA’s SCaN Program serves as the management office for the agency’s space communications and navigation systems. More than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions rely on SCaN’s two networks, the Near Space Network and Deep Space Network, to support astronauts aboard the International Space Station and future Artemis missions, monitor Earth’s weather, support lunar exploration, and uncover the Solar System and beyond.

Artemis II will help confirm the systems and hardware needed for human deep space exploration. This mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step towards new U.S.-crewed missions on the Moon’s surface that will help the agency prepare to send American astronauts to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

The Last Component for the Second SLS Rocket Is Now in Florida!

NASA / Kim Shiflett

NASA Delivers Artemis II Hardware to Kennedy (News Release)

A significant piece of hardware for NASA’s Artemis II mission arrived on August 19 to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete final stacking operations. A semitrailer transported NASA’s Orion stage adapter nearly 700 miles from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

NASA Marshall built and tested the Orion stage adapter which connects to the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage to the Orion spacecraft. A diaphragm within the adapter protects Orion from flammable gases, such as hydrogen, generated during launch.

The Orion stage adapter is 5 feet tall (1.5 meters) with a diameter 18 feet wide (5.4 meters). The adapter can hold CubeSats, a miniature satellite about the size of a shoebox, to conduct science experiments and technology demonstrations. Artemis II will launch four CubeSats from NASA partners around the Earth while Orion is flying on its own towards the Moon.

The Orion stage adapter will remain at NASA Kennedy’s Multi-Payload Processing Facility to undergo CubeSat integration and then move to the Vehicle Assembly Building to be stacked on the SLS rocket.

The Artemis II test flight will take commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen from CSA (Canadian Space Agency) around the Moon and return them safely back home. The mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis program and is another step towards missions on the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for future human missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Kim Shiflett

America's Next Group of Space Explorers, Plus Orion's First Crewed Lunar Flight, Will Be Previewed Next Month...

NASA / Kim Shiflett

NASA to Announce New Astronaut Class, Preview Artemis II Moon Mission (News Release)

NASA is opening media accreditation for multi-day events to introduce America’s newest astronaut class and provide briefings for the Artemis II crewed test flight around the Moon. The activities will take place in September at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

After evaluating more than 8,000 applications, NASA will debut its 2025 class of astronaut candidates during a ceremony at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, September 22. Following the ceremony, the candidates will be available for media interviews.

The astronaut selection event will stream live on NASA+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, NASA’s YouTube channel and the agency’s X account.

The selected candidates will undergo nearly two years of training before they graduate as flight-eligible astronauts for agency missions to low-Earth orbit, the Moon, and ultimately, Mars.

Next, NASA will host a series of media briefings on Tuesday, September 23, and Wednesday, September 24, to preview the upcoming Artemis II mission, slated for no later than April 2026. The test flight, a launch of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, 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.

Artemis II will help confirm the systems and hardware needed for human deep space exploration. This mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step towards new U.S.-crewed missions on the Moon’s surface that will help the agency prepare to send American astronauts to Mars.

The Artemis II events briefings will stream live on the agency’s YouTube channel and X account. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms.

Following the briefings, NASA will host an Artemis II media day at NASA Johnson on September 24, to showcase mission support facilities, trainers, and hardware for Artemis missions, as well as offer interview opportunities with leaders, flight directors, astronauts, scientists and engineers.

Media who wish to participate in person must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov and indicate which events that they plan to attend. Confirmed media will receive additional details about participating in these events. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is available on the agency’s website.

Media accreditation deadlines for the astronaut candidate selection and Artemis II events are as follows:

-- U.S. media interested in attending in person must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17.
-- International media without U.S. citizenship must RSVP no later than 5 p.m., on Wednesday, September 10.

Media requesting in-person or virtual interviews with the astronaut candidates, Artemis experts, or the Artemis II crew must submit requests to the NASA Johnson newsroom by Wednesday, September 17. In-person interview requests are subject to the credentialing deadlines noted above.

Source: NASA.Gov

The Last Component for the Second SLS Rocket Is Now Bound for KSC...

NASA / Brandon Hancock

Final Piece of Rocket Hardware for Artemis II Heads to Florida (Photo Release)

These images show the Orion stage adapter for Artemis II leaving NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, as it begins its journey to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Manufactured at Marshall, this adapter for the SLS (Space Launch System) connects the rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage to the Orion spacecraft and is the final piece of SLS hardware to be delivered to Kennedy Space Center in preparation for the Artemis II mission.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Brandon Hancock


NASA / Brandon Hancock


NASA / Brandon Hancock

The First Astronauts to Fly on Orion Continue Training for Next Year's Lunar Flight...

NASA / Kim Shiflett

Artemis II Crew Train for Night Launch Scenarios at Kennedy Space Center (News Release)

Before NASA’s Artemis II test flight launches a crew of four astronauts around the Moon and back, astronauts and teams on the ground at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, are training for different scenarios that could take place on launch day.

On August 11 and 12, teams with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems Program along with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, practiced launch day operations if launch occurs at night. They simulated putting their spacesuits on and driving to the launch pad, as well as emergency procedures that they would use in the unlikely event of an emergency during the launch countdown requiring them to evacuate the launch pad.

During the first nighttime scenario, the crew traversed the nine-mile journey from crew quarters to Launch Complex 39B. Once the crew arrived, teams declared a “scrub” and the astronauts headed back to crew quarters like they would in the event of their launch being postponed. The test ensures that both the crew and ground teams at Kennedy are prepared and understand the timeline of their events for launch day.

Practicing the scenario also complements a September 2023 daylight version of the test.

On August 12, teams completed an emergency egress system demonstration inside Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The astronauts suited up and departed their crew quarters and headed to the VAB, where their Moon rocket is being assembled on the Mobile Launcher. Once inside, the crew went up the Mobile Launcher to the White Room in the crew access arm – the area where the crew enters and exits their Orion spacecraft.

From there, teams went through different emergency scenarios with the astronauts, including practicing using emergency egress baskets while on the ground in the VAB.

During a real emergency, personnel will use the baskets, which are suspended on a track cable that connects the Mobile Launcher to the perimeter of the pad.

The team then headed to the terminus area at Launch Complex 39B, the location at the perimeter of the launch pad where the baskets will come to a stop in the event of an emergency. Once there, armored emergency response vehicles drove the team away to a designated safe site location at Kennedy.

Teams will have another opportunity to practice different launch day scenarios with the Artemis II crew during a countdown demonstration test scheduled for later this year. Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars – for the benefit of all.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Kim Shiflett


NASA / Kim Shiflett


NASA / Kim Shiflett

The Latest Update on the Third SLS Core Stage Booster...

NASA / Cory Huston

Artemis III Engine Section 3 Boat Tail in HB2 (Photo Release)

Teams from Kennedy lift NASA’s integrated Artemis III SLS (Space Launch System) core stage engine section with its boat-tail inside the center’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, August 13, 2025.

Shown inside the facility’s High Bay 2 for processing, the engine section is one the most complex and intricate parts of the rocket stage that will help power the Artemis missions to the Moon. 

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Cory Huston


NASA / Cory Huston


NASA / Cory Huston

The Last Piece of Flight Hardware for the Next SLS Rocket Will Soon Head to KSC...

NASA

NASA Invites Media to View Artemis II Orion Stage Adapter at Marshall (News Release - August 11)

Media are invited to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, at 2 p.m. CDT on Thursday, August 14 to view the final piece of space flight hardware for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the Artemis II mission before it is delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. All other elements of the SLS rocket for Artemis II are stacked on Mobile Launcher 1 in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy. Artemis II, NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, is currently scheduled for a 10-day trip around the Moon no later than April 2026.

The Orion stage adapter, built by NASA Marshall, connects the SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage to NASA’s Orion spacecraft. The small ring structure is the topmost portion of the SLS rocket. The adapter will also carry small payloads, called CubeSats, to deep space.

Media will have the opportunity to capture images and video and speak to subject matter experts. Along with viewing the adapter for Artemis II, media will be able to see the Orion stage adapter for the Artemis III mission, the first lunar landing at the Moon’s South Pole.

This event is open to U.S. media, who must confirm their attendance by 12 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, August 13, with Jonathan Deal in Marshall’s Office of Communications at jonathan.e.deal@nasa.gov. Media must also report by 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 14 to the Redstone Arsenal Joint Visitor Control Center Gate 9 parking lot, located at the Interstate 565 interchange at Research Park Boulevard, to be escorted to the event.

Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

The Latest Update on the First Crewed Capsule to Fly to the Moon Since 1972...

NASA / Kim Shiflett

NASA’s Artemis II Orion Spacecraft Moves Closer to Launch (News Release)

NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft completed a short but important journey on August 10, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. With spacecraft fueling complete, technicians moved Orion to the next facility on its path to the launch pad.

Teams transported Orion from Kennedy’s Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) where it has been loaded with propellants for flight, to the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF). There, engineers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program will integrate the escape system atop the crew module.

Orion arrived at the MPPF in May, where technicians fueled and processed Orion, loading propellants, high pressure gases, coolant and other fluids necessary for the spacecraft and crew to carry out their 10-day journey around the Moon and back. The Artemis II crew also took part in multiple days of tests inside Orion in the MPPF, donning their Orion Crew Survival System spacesuits and entering their spacecraft to test all of the equipment interfaces that they will operate during the mission.

Now inside the LASF, Orion will be integrated with its 44-foot-tall launch abort system, made up of two segments: the launch abort tower, including the abort, jettison and attitude control motors; and the fairing assembly, including the ogive panels that protect the crew module and provide aerodynamic support during launch. The system is designed to carry the crew to safety in the event of an emergency atop the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. Once integration is completed, the entire Orion stack will be transported to High Bay 3 in NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building where it will be connected to its Moon rocket.

The Artemis II test flight will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen around the Moon and safely return them back home. The mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign. Artemis will return Americans to the lunar surface and help the agency and its commercial and international partners prepare for future human missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Kim Shiflett


NASA / Kim Shiflett


NASA / Kim Shiflett


NASA / Kim Shiflett


NASA / Kim Shiflett

Another Update on the Third SLS Rocket...

NASA

Artemis III Core Stage Arrival at VAB from SSPF (Photo Release - July 29)

Teams from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida transport the engine section for the agency’s Artemis III SLS (Space Launch System) core stage from the spaceport’s Space Systems Processing Facility to the center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.

The engine section is one the most complex and intricate parts of the rocket stage that will help power the Artemis missions to the Moon.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA


NASA


NASA

Photos of the Day: The Launch Tower for the SLS Block 1B Rocket Continues to Take Shape at KSC...

Greg Scott - @GregScott_photo on X

Just thought I'd share these great images of Mobile Launcher (ML)-2, taken by avid space photographer Greg Scott, as it continues to take shape near the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The final tower module was installed on ML-2 earlier this month...completing the main structure of the launch platform prior to piping, electrical, hydraulics and the umbilical arms themselves beginning integration on the 390-foot-tall launcher.

When completed, ML-2 will begin operations supporting the first flight of the Space Launch System's (SLS) Block 1B variant—currently scheduled to embark on NASA's Artemis 4 mission to the Moon in late 2028. That flight will see the first use of the Exploration Upper Stage on SLS, and send the Orion capsule and first astronaut crew to the Gateway lunar space station.


Greg Scott - @GregScott_photo on X


NASA

The Second SLS Rocket Awaits Completion for Launch...

NASA

Artemis II Integration in High Bay (Photo Release - July 24)

NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket topped by its upper stage booster – the interim cryogenic propulsion stage – stands atop the Mobile Launcher inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, July 24, 2025.

The Artemis II mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step towards missions on the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for future human missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA


NASA


NASA

The Latest Update on the Third SLS Core Stage Booster...

NASA

Engine Section 3 Artemis (Photo Release - July 24)

Teams from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida transport the agency’s Artemis III SLS (Space Launch System) core stage boat-tail from the spaceport's Space Systems Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Thursday, July 24.

Used during the assembly of the SLS core stage, the boat-tail is a fairing-like structure that protects the bottom end of the core stage.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA


NASA


NASA

The Latest Update on the Next SLS Flight...

NASA

NASA Tests New Liquid Hydrogen Tank for Crewed Artemis Missions (News Release)

As teams get ready for the first crewed Artemis mission, which will take a crew of four around the Moon and back in 10 days, engineers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program tested the new liquid hydrogen sphere, which holds one of the cryogenic propellants used to power the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, at Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

To minimize time between launch attempts since SLS holds approximately 600,000 gallons of chilled liquid hydrogen, the team built an additional liquid hydrogen storage sphere at the launch pad. To ensure that the tank functions properly and can safely flow the -423° Fahrenheit super-cool liquid gas to the Mobile Launcher and SLS during launch countdown, the Artemis launch team successfully practiced flowing liquid hydrogen from both tanks to ensure there were no issues.

Once SLS and the Orion spacecraft are stacked, teams will roll the vehicle to the pad for a wet dress rehearsal, which will allow another opportunity to test the new hydrogen sphere prior to launch. This marks the completion of the final ground system verification and validation test for Artemis II. In the meantime, integrated testing with SLS and Orion continue inside Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building prior to rolling out to the pad for launch.

Source: NASA.Gov

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