Artemis II briefing outlines rollout and testing ahead of launch window as soon as Feb. 6

NASA held a mission overview briefing at Kennedy Space Center on the Artemis II rollout and upcoming integrated launch testing, and said the launch window for the 10-day lunar flyaround opens as soon as Feb. 6; the crew includes three NASA astronauts and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

NASA held a mission overview news conference at Kennedy Space Center ahead of the Artemis II rollout and pad testing. The mission is the first crewed lunar flyaround in more than half a century and is planned as a 10-day flight that will orbit the Moon without landing. Officials said the rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B will begin no earlier than 7 a.m. eastern time and will take several hours. Teams will perform final integrated launch testing once the vehicle reaches the pad, and the vehicle could be rolled back into the hangar if testing raises issues. Key details: - Rollout is scheduled to start no earlier than 7 a.m. eastern time from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B. - Teams will conduct final integrated launch testing at the pad after rollout. - NASA said the vehicle may be rolled back to the hangar if testing finds issues. - The launch window for the 10-day lunar flyaround mission opens as soon as Feb. 6. - The crew named for Artemis II includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Summary: The briefing focused on the upcoming rollout, pad-based integrated testing, and the mission schedule leading into the launch window. Teams will complete testing after rollout and address any findings; the next major milestone is the pad testing that follows rollout.