Tag: Space Launch System
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Launch preview: NASA to launch Artemis 2, its first Moon-bound mission with astronauts since 1972
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft stand at Launch Complex 39B on Tuesday, March 31, ahead of the planned launch of Artemis 2. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now For the first time in more than 53 years, NASA is preparing to send humans beyond low Earth orbit. As soon as Wednesday evening, four astronauts…
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NASA returns its SLS rocket back to the launch pad ahead of planned April flight of Artemis 2
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft photographed during the final hour of its four-mile journey to the launch pad on Friday, March 20, 2026. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now Update March 20, 12 p.m. EDT (1600 UTC): NASA confirmed completion of the Space Launch System rocket’s rollout. NASA’s Moon rocket returned to the launch…
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NASA ready for another shot at launching Artemis 2 moon mission
Technicians and engineers perform prelaunch work on the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft inside the Vehicle Assembly Building on Feb. 26, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now NASA plans to haul its Artemis 2 moon rocket back out to its seaside launch pad next week to ready the huge booster for blastoff as early…
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SLS rocket hauled back to VAB for repairs
NASA’s crawler-transporter 2, carrying NASA’s Artemis 2 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft secured to mobile launcher 1, rolls back Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to troubleshoot the flow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage.…
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NASA’s Artemis 2 rocket hit by new problem expected to bump moonshot into early April
A closeup view shows the NASA’s Artemis 2 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft and launch abort system atop at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. The Artemis 2 test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina…
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Moon mission fueling test concludes with no major problems
The countdown clock at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site stops at T-29 seconds at the end of the second terminal countdown demonstration, bringing an end to the wet dress rehearsal tanking test on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now NASA and contractor engineers pumped more than 750,000 gallons of supercold propellants into…
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NASA waves off February launch for Artemis II moon mission; now targeting early March
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket stands atop pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. After working around a hydrogen leak at the base of the rocket, engineers spent the day Monday pumping more than 750,000 gallons of supercold liquid oxygen and hydrogen fuel into the 32-story-tall launcher in a dress rehearsal countdown. How the leak…
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Countdown underway for critical moon rocket fueling test Monday
A full moon rises behind NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket atop pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. If a practice countdown and fueling test Monday go well, NASA is expected to press ahead with launch of the Artemis 2 mission on Feb. 8, sending four astronauts on a flight around the moon. Image:…
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Eastern Range ready for same day fueling of Space Launch System, Vulcan rockets
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket at Launch Complex 39B (left) and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket inside its Vertical Integration Facility (right): Image: NASA/Keegan Barber (left), United Launch Alliance (right) Update Jan. 24, 8:40 p.m. EST (0140 UTC): Added additional comment from Col. Bulson. February 2026 is shaping up to be a blockbuster month for…
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Proposed 24 percent cut to NASA budget eliminates key Artemis architecture, climate research
The Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C. Image: NASA Update May 3, 5:22 p.m. EDT: Corrected the location of Northrop Grumman’s facility housing the HALO module for the Gateway. The White House released its proposed federal spending budget for Fiscal Year 2026 on Friday and with it a series of deep cuts to…