NASA is planning on rolling out the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad on Jan. 17 for a launch as soon as Feb. 5, Space.com is reporting.

NASA announced on Friday evening (Jan. 9) that it plans to roll the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft that will fly the Artemis 2 moon mission out to the pad for prelaunch checks on Jan. 17, weather and technical readiness permitting.

NASA could be sending a crew on the Orion spacecraft out past the moon in less than a month if everything falls into place. But first the agency has to get its rocket to the launch pad. That could as early as next Saturday when the mobile launcher topped with the Space Launch System rocket and Orion could make the four-mile slow roll atop the crawler-transporter 2 from the Vehicle Assembly

NASA’s Artemis II mission is rolling toward the launch pad, marking a major step toward humanity’s next journey around the Moon.

For the second time in 2026, a SpaceX rocket is due to blast off from Southern California. Here's where (and what time) you may spot Falcon 9 liftoff

SpaceX early Sunday morning launched its first Twilight rideshare flight from California, launching satellites for NASA, an Internet-of-Things services company and an experiment to 3-D print a boom in space.

The 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence will also feature the historic Artemis 2 astronaut mission around the moon.

For just the second time in 2026, a SpaceX rocket is due to blast off from Southern California. Here's how to watch a livestream of the launch.

Artemis II's crew of four includes Nasa's commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch. A second mission specialist, Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, will also be on board. The mission involves the first crewed flight of SLS and Orion.

A planned spacewalk outside the International Space Station was scrapped because of what NASA called a "medical concern" with an unidentified crew member.