The fastest human spaceflight mission in history crawls closer to liftoff

Ars Technica • January 19, 2026 • science

Key Points:

NASA rolled out the Artemis II rocket to Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, marking a key step toward the first human Moon mission in over 50 years, scheduled for as early as February.
The Artemis II mission will carry four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—who will travel farther from Earth than any humans before, setting new distance and speed records without landing on the Moon.
Preparations include a critical Wet Dress Rehearsal planned for early February to test fueling procedures and systems, with previous issues from Artemis I addressed to improve chances of a successful launch.
The launch window depends on lunar positioning and safety constraints for reentry, with backup dates