NASA technicians have completed the final preparations for the historic Artemis II mission by moving the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into position between its twin solid-fueled boosters at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The 94-ton, 212-foot-tall core stage, which will contain 730,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant, is the single largest element for the mission. It will be stacked on top of the booster and connected to it through electrical and data connections before being topped with an Orion spacecraft and a cone-shaped adapter.
The Artemis II mission marks the first crewed flight of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar south pole and build a sustainable human presence on the Moon. The program’s next step will be the Artemis III mission, where SpaceX’s Starship rocket will be used as a human-rated lunar lander.
The mission is set to carry a crew of four astronauts around the far side of the Moon for a 10-day journey through deep space. This will be the first time humans have traveled to the vicinity of the Moon since 1972, paving the way for future expeditions to Mars and beyond.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/03/as-preps-continue-its-looking-more-likely-nasa-will-fly-the-artemis-ii-mission