Technology & Science
NASA Rolls Artemis II Stack to Pad, Locks Manifest Before Feb 6 Moon Fly-by
NASA moved the 322-ft SLS-Orion rocket to Launch Pad 39B and set a 21 Jan cut-off for its 1.5 million-name microchip as it finalises a Feb 6–Apr launch window for the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo.
Focusing Facts
- On 17 Jan 2026 the SLS crawled 4 mi from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad 39B at 0.82 mph, arriving after almost 12 hours.
- NASA’s ‘Send Your Name’ campaign closes 21 Jan 2026 with >1.5 million submissions to be stored on an SD card aboard Orion.
- The launch window opens 6 Feb 2026, contingent on a wet-dress rehearsal due no later than 2 Feb 2026.
Context
The slow roll to Pad 39B echoes the Saturn V’s first rollout in 1967 and the Shuttle’s STS-1 crawl in 1981—both visible symbols of U.S. intent to project technological prowess beyond low-Earth orbit. Artemis II fits a longer arc: renewed great-power competition and commercialization forcing NASA to justify $100 bn architectures while private firms chase cheaper lunar vehicles. Whether this mission succeeds or falters will influence investment, policy and public confidence in deep-space crewed flight for decades; if it fails, Artemis could mirror the post-Apollo retreat that left humans Earth-bound for half a century, but if it works it re-opens a frontier that may frame human activity in space for the next hundred years.
Perspectives
Mainstream science-oriented news outlets
e.g., Reuters, NDTV — Portray Artemis II as a triumphant step toward renewed human exploration of the Moon and eventual Mars missions, stressing the scale of the rocket rollout and global cooperation. Closely echo NASA press statements and patriotic rhetoric while skirting the program’s ballooning budget or unresolved technical flaws, likely to keep audiences inspired rather than alarmed.
Fiscal-conservative regional opinion columnists
e.g., Arkansas Democrat Gazette — Argue the Orion/SLS system is antiquated, over-budget and insufficiently tested, making Artemis II far riskier and costlier than the public is being told. Uses the capsule’s shortcomings to push an ideological call for privatizing crewed spaceflight and slashing federal spending, potentially overstating dangers to bolster that stance.
Entertainment-oriented/tabloid tech sites
e.g., International Business Times UK — Focus on the flood of superhero and pop-culture memes that ‘troll’ the Artemis II crew, framing the mission mainly as viral internet entertainment. Trivializes scientific stakes and mission risks to chase clicks and social-media engagement, offering spectacle over substantive analysis.