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- Artemis II in pictures: NASA’s next moon mission as you’ve never seen it before
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Artemis II in pictures: NASA’s next moon mission as you’ve never seen it before
More than 50 years after the last Apollo mission, NASA is now just 48 hours away from returning humans to the Moon with Artemis 2. This historic 10-day mission marks the first crewed launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft as it takes four astronauts around the Moon.
In this photo story, we take a look at how the crew and rocket got to this stage of launch readiness by looking back at all the hard work and challenges that took place during Artemis 1’s unmanned grounding in 2022, through crew training for high-pressure survival and complex hardware integration in 2026. The following images show how the world’s most powerful rocket is evolving and how the diverse crew is preparing for the permanent presence of humans on the Moon.
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Artemis II takes off
On November 16, 2022, at 1:49 a.m. EDT, NASA successfully performed the first-ever ignition of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on Launch Pad 39B as part of an unmanned mission to demonstrate how the most powerful rocket in history could launch an Orion capsule toward the Moon.
Computer: NASA
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Orion splashes down
After traveling more than 8,000 nautical miles and at a speed of more than 12,000 nautical miles, Orion will reenter Earth’s atmosphere and crash into the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022, after completing a 25.5-day unmanned mission and setting a record for an unmanned vehicle. This mission will evaluate the heat shield for future crew missions.
Computer: NASA
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Reed Wiseman’s water training
As part of this training, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman will participate in extensive water survival training at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory through 2024 to prepare for Orion’s high-speed landing and how to stabilize themselves in the raft after exiting the rover.
PC: NASA
On January 16, 2026, the 322-foot Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft were integrated and completed final checks on their core stage and booster engines before moving to Launch Pad 39B for the historic April 1 mission at Kennedy Space Center.
Computer: NASA
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The media is preparing for the launch
Several media agencies arrived at Kennedy Space Center on January 16 to remotely position cameras for the launch of the Artemis 2 rocket. There are several settings configured to allow photographers to capture close-up images of the more massive rocket as it journeys to the launch pad.
Computer: NASA
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Artemis II is ready
After a final launch on March 20, the Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft now stand on the Kennedy Space Center launch pad from the assembly building to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. The SLS rocket has completed its final ground tests and is currently being refueled for launch on Wednesday and loading fuel for its lunar mission.
Computer: NASA
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Main and reserve crews
On January 17, the main Artemis II crew members, Wiseman, Glover, Hansen and Koch, and their backups, Andre Douglas and Jenni Gibbons, gathered for a group photo. This group worked together to review mission procedures and ensure that key crew members and their backups were fully trained before arriving at the Cape this week.
Computer: NASA
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Proper training in a mockup
The Artemis II crew members trained inside an Orion model in bright orange OCSS spacesuits. OCSS is designed to provide the crew with decompression and oxygen protection during launch and return, which will be essential to keeping the crew members safe during their upcoming ten-day lunar mission.
Computer: NASA
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