The historic lunar flyby Artemis II mission is over. The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday night, and the crew is reportedly doing well.
After a successful, historic journey around the moon, NASA rolled out the core stage, or largest section of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, set to carry Artemis III astronauts in 2027.
This marks the first step toward NASA’s first crewed lunar landing in over 50 years.
MEET RISE, THE BELOVED ARTEMIS II MASCOT THAT TRAVELED TO THE MOON AND BACK
“Seeing this SLS rocket hardware roll out is a powerful reminder of our progress toward returning humans to the lunar surface,” Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, said.
NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft rest on Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 31, 2026, ahead of the crewed lunar mission.
(Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The stage departed NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans for shipment to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Crews utilized specialized transporters to maneuver the top four-fifths of the SLS core stage, the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, inter tank and forward skirt, from inside the facility to NASA’s Pegasus barge for delivery.
Once it arrives, teams will finish preparing the rocket stage by lifting it upright, and assembling all the major parts of the rocket so it’s ready for launch.
NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“This is the backbone of Artemis III. As it heads to Florida for final integration, we are one step closer to testing the critical capabilities needed to land Americans on the moon, and ultimately, paving the way for our first crewed missions to Mars,” Glaze said.
WHY DID THE ARTEMIS II SPACECRAFT LAND IN THE OCEAN AND NOT ON LAND?
The core stage, which was built by Boring and L3Harris Technologies, is 212 feet tall and will consist of the top four-fifths of the rocket, combined with its engine section. This includes two propellant tanks that hold more than 733,000 gallons of super-chilled fuel, which powers four RS-25 engines.
Spotlights illuminate NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.
(NASA/Jim Ross / NASA)
During launch, the stage will operate for over eight minutes, generating more than two million pounds of thrust to send the spacecraft into orbit.
Artemis III is a key mission in NASA’s Artemis program and is expected to test critical rendezvous and docking operations between the Orion spacecraft and commercial spacecraft needed to land on the moon. These capabilities are essential for future crewed lunar missions.
NASA’s SLS is designed to launch Orion, astronauts and supplies to deep space in a single mission, supporting the agency’s return to the lunar surface under Artemis.
