Artemis II

Orion is developed to be capable of sending astronauts to the Moon and is a crucial step toward eventually sending crews on to Mars.

The Orion spacecraft will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry and sustain the crew on Artemis missions to the Moon and return them safely to Earth. Orion will launch on NASA’s new heavy-lift rocket, the SLS (Space Launch System).

Offering more payload mass, volume, and departure energy than any other single rocket, SLS (Space Launch System) can support a range of mission objectives.

Combining power and capability, NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and Artemis. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and cargo directly to the Moon in a single launch.

Preparing the infrastructure to support NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Exploration Ground Systems, based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, develops and operates the systems and facilities needed to process, launch, and recover rockets and spacecraft for NASA’s Artemis missions.

Artemis II science operations will lay the foundation for safe and efficient human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

The Artemis II mission will carry astronauts farther from Earth and closer to the Moon than any human has been in over half a century. From this unique vantage point and environment, the Artemis II crew will work with scientists on Earth to facilitate science investigations to inform future human spaceflight missions.