Artemis 2 rocket rollout latest news: NASA ready to move giant moon rocket

NASA Artemis 2 rollout briefing ends

NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket rollout preview press conference has ended.

You can see a replay in the window below.

NASA’s Artemis II Rollout and Mission Overview News Conference (Jan. 16, 2026) - YouTube

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Overall, it appears NASA is ready to move the 322-foot-tall Space Launch System rocket out to Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Jan. 17, but time appears tight for the space agency's hope to launch the four Artemis 2 astronauts to the moon in February as planned.

Artemis 2 is NASA's first crewed Artemis mission and the first astronaut mission to the moon in over 50 years. As such, a series of tests on both the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for the mission must go well before it will be clear for astronauts to fly on then.

NASA has launched an SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft before, on the Artemis 1 mission in November 2022, but that was an uncrewed test flight. The Orion spacecraft on Artemis 2 is the first to include many life support systems to sustain astronuts on the 10-day mission.

NASA also wants to complete a fueling test on Feb. 2 that will help the space agency decide if it can proceed with a February launch. The February launch window is limited to a series of days between Feb. 6-10.

It took three attempts to launch Artemis 1, with fuel leaks contributing to two delays. NASA believe its has fixes in place, but needs to test them before Artemis 2 can launch.

If Artemis 2 is unable to launch in February, NASA can try again in March and April.

Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said NASA has launch opportunities every month for Artemis 2, ranging from a few days to up to a week.

Tariq Malik

Artemis 2 rocket ready for rollout, fueling test set

NASA officials say the Artemis 2 moon rocket is ready to head out to its Florida launch pad early tomorrow, but it will be a slow trip.

The Artemis 2 Space Launch System will take between 8 to 10 hours to make the 4-mile trip from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B. Once the the rocket makes it to the pad, NASA will then connect it to pad infrastructure for fueling atop its Mobile Launch Platform.

NASA's huge Crawler Carrier vehicle - originally built for the Apollo Saturn V missions (like the VAB) - will haul the rocket and launch platform out to the pad.

Artemis 2 Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson says NASA plans to conduct a fueling test, called a "wet dress rehearsal," on Feb. 2. Based on the rocket's performance during that test, NASA will decide if Artemis 2 will be ready for a Feb. 6 launch.

The February launch window runs from Feb. 6 to Feb. 10. In addition to the fueling tests, NASA will need to perform a series of SLS and Orion spacecraft checks, as well a run through with Artemis 2 astronaut crew.

Tariq Malik

NASA Artemis 2 rollout press conference begins

NASA's press conference on the Artemis 2 moon rocket has begun. You can watch it live on this page, as well as on NASA's YouTube here.

Speaking during the event are:

• John Honeycutt, Artemis II mission management team chair
• Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director, Exploration Ground Systems
• Jeff Radigan, Artemis II lead flight director, Flight Operations Directorate
• Lili Villarreal, landing and recovery director, Exploration Ground Systems
• Jacob Bleacher, chief exploration scientist, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate

"I will say, it really doesn't get much better than this," Honeycutt says in opening remarks." This is making history."

Tariq Malik

NASA to hold press conference on Artemis 2 rollout

NASA’s Artemis II Rollout and Mission Overview News Conference (Jan. 16, 2026) - YouTube

Watch On

Hello, Space Fans! NASA is one day away from its historic rollout of the Artemis 2 rocket that will carry four astronauts to the moon for the first time in over 50 years.

The Artemis 2 rocket, NASA's second Space Launch System booster, is currently scheduled to head out to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT). It should take several hours for the towering 322-foot rocket to reach the launch pad.

Space.com's Josh Dinner is on the scene at Kennedy Space Center for the Artemis 2 rollout, and will share insights on what the view is like there.

But first, NASA will hold a press conference today at 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT) to discuss the Artemis 2 rollout, plans for the Feb. 6 launch of the 10-day mission around the moon.

You can watch that press conference live in the window above.

Tariq Malik