NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket gets 2nd stage even as Trump tries to scrap Space Launch System (photos)

The Artemis 2 megarocket set to launch NASA's next astronauts to the moon in 2026 is almost completely assembled.

The giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket continues to grow inside the NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Technicians at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, stacked the rocket's second stage onto the launch vehicle Thursday (May 1). The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) is responsible for carrying the Orion spacecraft and crew the rest of the way into orbit around the Earth, and then sending them on their way to the moon.

This SLS rocket will launch the Artemis 2 mission, with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The quartet are flying the second installment of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent presence on the moon as a technology springboard to one day send humans to Mars.

The next mission, Artemis 3, would then deliver astronauts to the moon with the help of a Starship lander in 2027. That could be the last SLS rocket to fly, though. The Trump administration proposed canceling the SLS and Orion program after Artemis 3 in its 2026 budget proposal on Friday (May 2).

Artemis 2 is scheduled to launch sometime in early 2026 — more than three years after the launch of Artemis 1, in November 2022. Artemis 1 sent an uncrewed Orion spacecraft into lunar orbit on a mission that lasted about 25 days. Orion and crew won't enter lunar orbit for Artemis 2, but they will fly around the moon.

Rather than enter orbit, the ICPS will steer Orion and the Artemis 2 crew out of Earth orbit into a free-return trajectory around the moon. This slingshots the spacecraft around the lunar far-side on a course directly back to Earth.

Unexpected damage to Orion's heat shield caused by atmospheric reentry during Artemis 1 is to blame for the long wait time between Artemis 1 and Artemis 2. That damage delayed Artemis 2 and Artemis 3 by more than a year each. Artemis 3 is currently targeted for 2027, and will carry the first astronauts to land on the moon since the Apollo missions.

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The ICPS arrived at the VAB last month. Now, NASA has shared photos of the ICPS being stacked inside the VAB on X, showcasing the stage as it was hoisted from the warehouse floor and lowered into the SLS stage adapter.

NASA also took deliver of Orion and its service module this week from the spacecraft's main contractor Lockheed Martin. Before it heads to the VAB for incorporation with SLS, Orion will be transferred KSC's Exploration Ground Systems for processing.