KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA's Artemis II rocket arrived at Launch Pad 39B at 11:21 AM Eastern time on Friday, completing an overnight journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building and setting up the first crewed Moon mission in more than 53 years.
TLDR
NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B on Friday, March 20, after an 11-hour overnight rollout. The agency is targeting April 1 for launch, which would send four astronauts around the Moon in the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The 322-foot Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, mounted on crawler-transporter 2, began moving at 12:20 AM. The four-mile trip took approximately 11 hours at a maximum speed of 0.82 mph.
Wind gusts earlier in the week had threatened to delay the rollout. NASA requires wind speeds below 26 knots at the 60-foot level before moving the integrated stack outside the assembly building.
April launch window
NASA is targeting Wednesday, April 1 at 6:24 PM EDT for launch. The window extends through Monday, April 6. The dates are constrained by lunar positioning and Orion's planned skip re-entry trajectory on return.
The mission will send Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day flight around the Moon. At its closest approach, the crew will pass within 6,400 miles of the lunar surface.
Artemis II is another step toward 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.
— NASA Mission Blog, March 20, 2026
The four astronauts entered crew quarantine at Johnson Space Center in Houston on Wednesday, March 19. Standard protocol requires isolation to reduce infection risk before launch.
Helium fix cleared the way
The rollout followed weeks of repair work inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Engineers discovered a helium flow issue during a fuelling test at the pad in late January. Rather than attempt repairs at the exposed launch site, NASA opted to return the rocket to the assembly building on February 21.
A faulty seal and check valve in the helium pressurisation system were identified and replaced. Technicians also swapped batteries in the flight termination system on the solid rocket boosters, core stage and upper stage during the downtime.
The helium system pressurises fuel tanks during launch. A leak or flow restriction could have compromised engine performance or mission abort capabilities.
Final preparations under way
With the rocket now at the pad, crews will spend the next 11 days completing pre-launch checks. These include communication system verification, guidance computer testing and a final countdown rehearsal.
Kennedy Space Center visitor complex is selling launch viewing packages. Tickets range from general admission areas to closer viewing locations at the Apollo/Saturn V Center.
NASA's Artemis II Flight Readiness Review press conference, March 12, 2026.
What the astronauts will eat
NASA published the crew menu on March 4. The four astronauts will share 189 different food items over the 10-day mission, plus 10 beverage options and five hot sauces.
Meals include beef brisket, butternut squash, mango salad and 58 tortillas. Tortillas are preferred over bread because they produce fewer crumbs that could float into spacecraft equipment. Each astronaut receives two flavoured beverages per day, which may include coffee.
Food is prepared using a water dispenser to rehydrate freeze-dried items and a briefcase-sized food warmer for hot meals. Fresh produce cannot be carried because Orion lacks refrigeration. All items are shelf-stable, pre-selected by the crew and packed before launch.
First crew beyond low Earth orbit since 1972
Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan and lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt were the last humans to walk on the Moon, departing the Taurus-Littrow valley on December 14, 1972. No crew has travelled beyond low Earth orbit since then.
Artemis II will not land on the Moon. The mission is a test flight of the Orion spacecraft's life support, navigation and communication systems with crew aboard. If successful, it clears the path for Artemis III, which would land astronauts on the lunar south pole.
The Orion heat shield underwent modifications after Artemis I in 2022, when portions of the ablative material charred more than expected during re-entry. Engineers adjusted the design and conducted additional thermal testing before clearing Artemis II for flight.
Recovery teams will retrieve the crew capsule in the Pacific Ocean on or around April 10. A US Navy San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock will handle retrieval operations.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
