NASA's SLS rolls to the pad for Artemis 2 launch aimed at April

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion are rolling from the Vehicle Assembly Building back to Launch Pad 39B for Artemis 2, with liftoff no earlier than April 1 after fixes to a helium-flow issue and other prelaunch work. The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA’s Jeremy Hansen—will orbit the Moon and splash down in the Pacific about 10 days later, marking the first crew aboard Orion. Artemis 2 serves as a precursor to the program’s Moon-landing timeline, which shifts Artemis 4 to host the first lunar landing, while Artemis 3 focuses on Earth-orbit docking tests with a lunar lander; ESA officials emphasized continued international collaboration ahead of upcoming planning discussions.