Artemis III SLS Liquid Hydrogen Tank by Steven B. Seipel Teams at NASA MAF in New Orleans move a hydrogen tank for SLS into the factory’s final assembly area on 4-22. Having completed thermal protection system application, teams will continue outfitting the 130’ tank with systems for Artemis III.

Artemis II MRAP training by NASA/Kim Shiflett Teams trained with the mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, or MRAPs, inside the launch pad terminus area, where the emergency egress baskets carrying the astronauts and flight crew will arrive following their safe exit from the mobile launcher.

Artemis II Interim Crygoenic Propulsion Stage stacking by Isaac Watson NASA’s EGS begin integrating the ICPS to the Artemis II Space Launch System on April 30, 2025, inside the VAB at KSC in Florida. The 4-story propulsion system, built by Boeing and ULA, is powered by an RL10 engine.

Artemis III SLS Liquid Oxygen Tank by Michael DeMocker The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft to the Moon.

Artemis II Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage move to the VAB by NASA/Cory S Huston Technicians fueled the SLS upper stage, ICPS, with hydrazine for its reaction control system at the MPPF and will now integrate the four-story propulsion system with SLS rocket elements atop mobile launcher 1

RS-25 hot fire preparations by Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18.

Artemis II SLS launch vehicle stage adapter stacking by NASA/Isaac Watson A crane lowers the LVSA onto the SLS core stage on April 3, 2025, in the VAB. During ascent, the LVSA provides structural support and protects avionics within the upper stage from extreme vibrations and acoustic conditions.

Gateway HALO packaging by Thales Alenia Space In Turin, Italy, technicians prepare Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) for transport. The module’s primary structure will travel to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona, for final outfitting ahead of its launch to lunar orbit.

Artemis II mission patch. Photo by NASA/Robert Markowitz “This patch designates the mission as “AII,” signifying not only the second major flight of the Artemis campaign, but also an endeavor of discovery that seeks to explore for all and by all.”

Underway Recovery Test 12 by NASA/Bill Ingalls The teams spent the week practicing the procedures they will use to recover the astronauts after their more than 600,000 mile journey from Earth to the Moon and back on the first crewed mission under the Artemis campaign.

Gateway AEPS Thruster Testing by NASA/GRC/Jef Janis NASA GRC has received the first of three AEPS thrusters for the Gateway lunar space station. The thruster will undergo testing before integration with Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element, launching with the HALO module ahead of Artemis IV.

Artemis Underway Recovery Test 12 by NASA/Bill Ingalls The Crew Module Test Article (CMTA), a full scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft, is seen as it is deployed from USS Somerset during the Underway Recovery Test-12, off the coast of California, Friday, March 28, 2025.

Artemis II SLS Launch Vehicle Stage Adaptor by NASA/Frank Michaux The cone shaped LVSA connects the SLS Moon rocket to the upper stage, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, and protects the rocket’s flight computers, avionics, and electrical devices during launch and ascent.

Artemis II SLS core stage lift for stacking by NASA/Frank Michaux The move from the facility’s transfer aisle into High Bay 3 allows technicians to integrate the 212-foot-tall core stage with the stacked solid rocket boosters onto mobile launcher 1.

Artemis II SLS core stage stacking by NASA/Frank Michaux Teams with NASA’s EGS and primary contractor Amentum integrate the SLS Moon rocket with the solid rocket boosters onto mobile launcher 1 inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s KSC on Sunday, March 23, 2025.

Artemis II Orion fairing installation by NASA/Glenn Benson The fairings encapsulate the service module and protect the solar array wings, shielding them from the heat, wind, and acoustics of launch and ascent, as well as help redistribute the load between Orion and the massive thrust of SLS.

Artemis II Orion fairing installation by NASA/Glenn Benson The Artemis II Orion spacecraft following successful installation of three spacecraft adapter jettison fairings on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

Artemis IV hardware in production by NASA/Michael DeMocker The forward skirt is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft to the Moon.

Artemis IV SLS forward skirt production by NASA/Michael DeMocker Teams in New Orleans lifting a forward skirt out of its vertical assembly center on Jan. 31, 2025. The forward skirt houses flight computers, cameras, and avionics.

Artemis I wet dress rehearsal SLS rollout by NASA/Ben Smegelsky NASA’s Artemis I Moon rocket – carried atop the crawler-transporter 2 – rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 6, 2022, beginning the 4.2-mile journey to Launch Complex 39B.

Artemis II SLS booster segment by NASA/Frank Michaux Engineers and technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program transfer the right center center segment with the NASA worm insignia to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.

Orion Crew Modules for Artemis II, Artemis III, and Artemis IV by NASA/Marie Reed The Orion spacecraft for NASA’s crewed Artemis II (right), Artemis III (left), and Artemis IV (center) missions next to each other inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on June 22, 2023.

Artemis II Core Stage Lift from HB2 to Transfer Aisle by NASA/Kim Shiflett The 212-foot core stage will undergo final checkouts before being lifted into the VAB’s High Bay 3 for integration alongside the completed stack of twin solid rocket booster segments.

Orion Test Article in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab by NASA/James Blair U.S. Navy divers, Air Force pararescuemen and Coast Guard rescue swimmers practice Orion recovery techniques at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NEO Surveyor Instrument Enclosure Inside Historic Chamber A by NASA Wrapped in silver thermal blanketing, the 12-foot-long (3.7-meter-long) angular structure was subjected to the frigid, airless conditions that the spacecraft will experience when in deep space.

Artemis II SLS core stage transfer by NASA EGS

Artemis II Core Stage Lift from HB2 to Transfer Aisle by NASA/Kim Shiflett NASA Exploration Ground Systems uses massive cranes inside the VAB to lift the fully assembled SLS core stage vertically 225 feet above the ground from High Bay 2 to a horizontal position in the transfer aisle.

Artemis II SLS core stage stacking by NASA/Kim Shiflett The 212-foot core stage will undergo final checkouts before being lifted into the VAB’s High Bay 3 for integration alongside the completed stack of twin solid rocket booster segments.

Crawler-Transporter 2 and Mobile Launcher 1 by NASA/Kim Shiflett The mobile launcher is equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, which will connect to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion. CT-2 has been upgraded to handle the weight of the mobile launcher with SLS and Orion atop.

Gateway Power and Propulsion Element by Maxar Space Systems Technicians carefully install a piece of equipment to house Gateway’s xenon fuel tanks, part of its advanced electric propulsion system. 2024-07-01.