NASA Moves Orion Toward a 2026 Moon Mission
NASA has taken a significant step toward the 2026 launch of the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission, moving the crewed spacecraft seven miles to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center. The relocation marks the penultimate major movement before the crewed lunar flyby mission, a milestone that would return humans to the vicinity of the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The seven-mile transfer, performed around midnight Eastern Daylight Time, was from the Launch Abort System Facility to the VAB. The move demonstrates progress in the Artemis program, which aims to demonstrate crewed lunar travel and pave the way for sustained human exploration of the Moon and beyond.
Included in the Orion stack are the crew module and the service module, with four astronauts slated to fly aboard in Artemis II. Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will ride atop the Orion spacecraft, which has been nicknamed “Integrity.” This mission will mark the first time people have orbited the Moon in more than five decades, offering a critical test of life-support systems, navigation, communications, and deep-space operations ahead of future Artemis missions.
What’s Next in the Artemis II Timeline
NASA officials, including Artemis 2 launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thomson, have outlined a rigorous test plan designed to validate systems and procedures in a crewed context. The Orion Stage Adapter is expected to be stacked in High Bay 3 the week before its arrival, positioning the spacecraft for the next sequence of checks, according to Spaceflight Now’s reporting.
In the months ahead, Orion will undergo a comprehensive set of tests known as the End-to-End Communications Test and the Interface Verification Test, among others. Because Artemis II is a crewed flight, authorities are incorporating additional demonstrations that reflect human spaceflight realities, including a modernized Countdown Demonstration Test (CDT).
Countdown Demonstration Test (CDT) and Crew Preparation
“Those new tests consist of the Countdown Demonstration Test, which is about our crewed flight,” Blackwell-Thomson explained. The CDT mirrors the processes used during a real launch, where the crew suits up, boards the vehicle, and undergoes a thorough checklist and countdown. The team will count down to near terminal count, then pause for a planned review, ensuring hardware and procedures operate flawlessly with a live crew aboard.
Following CDT Part 1, technicians will perform tests on the flight termination system and begin final vehicle closeouts. Once these preparations are complete, the team will roll the vehicle from the VAB to the launch pad—an approximate four-mile journey that will again test interfaces between the Mobile Launcher and the pad itself.
Pad Testing and the Wet Dress Rehearsal
At the pad, engineers will conduct additional tests to confirm the robustness of ground systems and integrated operations. After pad testing is completed, Orion enters the wet dress rehearsal phase, a pivotal procedure that simulates a full launch countdown and fueling sequence without fuel to confirm all procedures can be executed safely.
During the wet dress rehearsal, Orion will be fully tanked to representative levels of propellants in the core and upper stages. The test’s objective is to validate the countdown process to a terminal count, typically stopping at a point near T-minus 29 seconds before data is reviewed and the countdown is concluded. If successful, teams would initiate the launch countdown in a subsequent full countdown scenario.
Officials have noted that the hydrogen leak issue observed during Artemis I has been resolved, with design adjustments to a valve and a refined fueling procedure implemented years ago. The recent focus has been on ensuring the procedures are repeatable and reliable for a crewed mission, not on a one-off test, underscoring NASA’s commitment to safety and mission success.
The Path Forward
With the move to the VAB as a key milestone, NASA is orchestrating a carefully sequenced set of checks, rehearsals, and test events designed to yield a high-confidence readiness posture for Artemis II. The mission holds historical significance beyond technical achievement, signaling a re-ignition of human lunar exploration and setting the stage for a sustained presence on and around the Moon in the coming years.
As the Artemis program progresses, stakeholders will watch closely how Orion’s systems perform in a crewed context, how the team responds to test results, and how the program scales to support future crewed missions and potential lunar surface operations.
