Scheduled to launch in February 2026, the Artemis II Orion capsule and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are currently at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final integration and stacking. The Artemis II astronauts — comprised of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — recently spoke with the media at the Kennedy Space Center days before the Crew-11 launch about the struggles, the successes, and the emotional weight of being at the forefront of the future of human space exploration.
Shortly after their meeting with the media, the four astronauts suited up and began training in their Orion capsule that will take them around the Moon. The Artemis II Orion is currently located inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) in Florida, where it awaits its stacking with SLS in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).