NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket rocket and Orion crew spacecraft, secured atop mobile launcher, began rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12;20 a.m. March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – After over 4 hours of delays due to continuing high winds all day Thursday, March 19 that stretched into Friday, March 20, NASA at last completed the 2nd rollout of the agency’s Artemis II SLS Moon rocket and Orion spacecraft from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) back out to launch pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The exciting rollout took place after a few weeks of necessary and critical repairs on the rocket inside the VAB to fix the helium flow clog that scrubbed plans to launch the rocket in early March.
NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket and Orion crew spacecraft during rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
Enjoy our gallery of rollout photos of the Artemis II mega moon rocket taken by Ken Kremer and Jean Wright for Space UpClose
NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket rocket and Orion crew spacecraft, secured atop mobile launcher, began rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12;20 a.m. March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Jean Wright/SpaceUpClose.com
Artemis II will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on an approximately 10-day mission around the Moon and back, marking the first crewed flight of the Artemis program.
NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket rocket and Orion crew spacecraft, secured atop mobile launcher, began rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12;20 a.m. March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Jean Wright/SpaceUpClose.com
Launch of Artemis II is targeted for as early as Wednesday, April 1 at 6:24 PM thru 8:24 PM.
The early April launch window includes a total of six opportunities every day through Monday, April 6.
NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket rocket and Orion crew spacecraft, secured atop mobile launcher, began rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12;20 a.m. March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
The 4-mile trek at max speed of ca 0.8 mph takes about 12 hours as the Crawler-Transporter-2 (CT-2) moves the 11 million pounds mass stack of SLS and Orion secured to the mobile launcher from the VAB to top of pad 39B at KSC
NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket and Orion crew spacecraft during rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft mega moon rocket for the Artemis II crewed moonshot mission completed its rollback from launch pad 39B into the VAB where it arrived inside late evening Feb. 25, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida – to fix the helium flow interruption issue detected in the ICPS upper stage during testing overnight Feb. 21 at Launch Complex 39B.
NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket rocket and Orion crew spacecraft, secured atop mobile launcher, began rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12;20 a.m. March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
Ken Kremer recent TV interviews:
I was also interviewed live by Fox 35 Orlando at 11:30 am ET March 19, about updating the status of NASA Artemis II rollout from VAB to launch pad 39B – as the winds were howling on the Florida Space Coast, just abit below the weather criteria limit of 40 knots
Could NASA’s Artemis 2 rollout get delayed again? NASA engineers are targeting tonight at 8 PM [Mar 16, 2026] to roll the Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. The Artemis crew entered quarantine last night to prepare for a launch next month. Ken Kremer, Managing Editor of Space UpClose joins FOX 35’s Garrett Wymer live via Zoom to preview NASA’s rollout and the odds of a successful string of events before the launch window opens next month. video: https://www.fox35orlando.com/video/fmc-vihrm1hbp25zq1hj. Credit: Fox 35 OrlandoWesh 2 NBC Orlando Mar 25:
NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket and Orion crew spacecraft during rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.comNASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket rocket and Orion crew spacecraft, secured atop mobile launcher, began rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12;20 a.m. March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.comNASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket and Orion crew spacecraft during rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.comNASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket and Orion crew spacecraft during rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.comKen Kremer and Jean Wright of Space UpClose pose with NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket and Orion crew spacecraft during rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
Ken Kremer and Jean Wright of Space UpClose pose with NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket and Orion crew spacecraft during rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.comKen Kremer and Jean Wright of Space UpClose pose with NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket and Orion crew spacecraft during rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
Ken Kremer of Space UpClose pose with NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket and Orion crew spacecraft during rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 20, 2026. Launch of Artemis II with 4 astronauts on a 10 day mission around the Moon is targeted for NET April 1, 2026. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news. Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics. Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events.
CAPE CANAVERAL/KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – On March 25, 2026 I was interviewed live by Fox 35 Orlando about “NASA unveils timeline for $20 billion moon base project” and NASAs new plans to establish a moon base with astronauts at the lunar South Pole – that were announced on March 24 by new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. Also discussed – How,
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – After a few weeks of repairs and high winds in the final hours forcing another 4 hours of delays that stretched into Friday, March 20, NASA at last completed the 2nd rollout of the agency’s Artemis II SLS Moon rocket and Orion spacecraft from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) back out to launch pad 39B
