Nasa's mega Moon rocket arrives at launch pad for Artemis II mission

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 4 min read 100% complete January 18, 2026 at 02:22 AM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, set to carry the Artemis II mission, has arrived at Launch Pad 39B in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The 98-meter-tall rocket was transported from the Vehicle Assembly Building over a 6.5km journey, a process that took nearly 12 hours. This move precedes final tests and a "wet dress rehearsal" in preparation for the Artemis II mission, which will send four astronauts around the Moon. The earliest possible launch date is February 6, with other launch windows available later in February, March, and April. The Artemis II mission, the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years, aims to pave the way for future lunar landings, with Artemis III planned for no earlier than 2027.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Apollo 17 40% Florida 50% Reid Wiseman ×250% Jeremy Hansen ×250% Victor Glover ×250% Kennedy Space Center ×260% Cape Canaveral 60% Christina Koch ×360% Space Launch System ×270% Moon ×580% Artemis II ×690% National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ×7100%

Keywords

artemis ii mission 100% moon mission 90% space launch system 80% nasa 70% rocket launch 60% launch pad 50% crewed mission 50% artemis iii 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Positive

Score: 0.60

Source Transparency

Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Moon

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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artemis ii mission moon mission space launch system nasa rocket launch launch pad crewed mission artemis iii

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