Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion Spacecraft
The Space Launch System (SLS) is NASA's super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle — the most powerful rocket ever built, generating 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is the spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to deep space destinations including the Moon and eventually Mars. Orion uses a European Service Module (ESM) built by the European Space Agency (ESA) for propulsion, power, and life support. Artemis 2 will be the second SLS flight and the first crewed Orion mission.
- SLS thrust: 8.8 million pounds (comparable to Saturn V of the Apollo programme)
- Orion crew module: Up to 4 astronauts; European Service Module provides propulsion and power
- Heat shield: Designed for lunar-velocity atmospheric reentry at ~40,000 km/h
- Launch site: Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
- Mission duration: 10 days on a free-return trajectory around the Moon
● Tracked since February 20, 2026 · last seen April 30, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
03 Apr '26
Artemis II Launches: Humanity's First Crewed Lunar Mission in Over 50 Years
Science & Technology
02 Apr '26
Artemis II Completes Perigee Raise Burn, Sets Course for Translunar Injection
Science & Technology
02 Apr '26
NASA's Artemis II: First Crewed Mission to Lunar Vicinity in 50 Years
Environment & Ecology
01 Apr '26
NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Lunar Mission in Over 50 Years Lifts Off
Science & Technology
01 Apr '26
Artemis 2: First Crewed Lunar Flyby in 50 Years Launches on Historic Mission
Science & Technology
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