NASA’s Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft has completed propellant loading and is now headed to the launch preparation phase. The spacecraft, carrying four astronauts on a 10-day mission around the moon, will be outfitted with an emergency escape system at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Orion was moved from the Multi-Payload Processing Facility to the Launch Abort System Facility in May, where it underwent processing and systems checks. The crew participated in their first onboard suits-on tests inside the space capsule, connecting to life support and communications systems for simulated ground and flight conditions.
Engineers will now install Orion’s 44-foot launch abort system, designed to propel the crew capsule away from its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in the event of an emergency. The system includes thrusters for abort and jettison, as well as attitude control.
Once the installation is complete, the full Orion stack will be transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be placed atop SLS. Artemis 2 will mark Orion’s first crewed mission and a critical step in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustained human presence on the moon.
The launch timeline for Artemis 2 is uncertain, with some optimistic predictions placing it as early as February 2026, while others suggest April. The astronauts have expressed caution about the expectations, citing April as the official date and looking for opportunities to launch sooner.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasas-artemis-2-orion-spacecraft-fuels-up-and-moves-closer-to-launch