With the Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft at the launch pad, experts will be conducting the wet dress rehearsal soon.

Ahead of the historic mission which will return humans around the moon, NASA's giant SLS rocket is set to roll to the KSC launch pad for testing.

With Artemis II, SLS could become the most powerful rocket ever to launch humans. Its four main engines burn roughly 700,000 gallons of ultra-cold fuel, producing enough oomph to keep eight Boeing 747s aloft. Future versions of SLS, if they come to fruition, could deliver even greater power.

Slowed by four main parachutes in predawn darkness, the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft descended and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, Jan. 15, wrapping up NASA's first-ever astronaut medical evacuation from the International Space Station.

Rollout of the stacked Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft has officially started at 7:04am ET. Watch the Artemis II Moon rocket travel four miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the historic Launch Pad 39B at @NASAKennedy: https://t.co/DNJFpQjLvF — NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) January 17, 2026