NASA is working to take astronauts farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone, but the ambitious and costly moonshot has been plagued by delays.

Before NASA can decide a rocket launch date for Artemis 2, the giant SLS rocket has to ace a critical fueling test known as a wet dress rehearsal.

Artemis II is preparing for launch from the Kennedy Space Center, where the rocket will carry the Orion spacecraft for a second time, this time with a crew on its journey to the moon.

The U.S. is the only country to have ever sent humans to the moon.

Time to suit up!

NASA's Artemis II crewed mission to the moon shows how U.S. space strategy has changed since Apollo -- and contrasts with China's closed program.

Even as NASA celebrated the rollout of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis II over the weekend, NASA's new administrator, Jared Isaacman, made sure to put an asterisk on the program's future.

EL MONTE, CA, UNITED STATES, January 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Amy Su, PMP, a distinguished Senior Program

The moon-bound crew entered a 14-day quarantine on Friday evening to keep them from contracting any illnesses that could delay launching.

NASA's first tragedy is recalled annually at Launch Complex 34. This year is different, as the Artemis II mission sits on the horizon.

For months, the Artemis II crew and flight controllers have been simulating malfunctions to prepare for their upcoming trip around the Moon.