In this image from Oct. 3, 2024, NASA’s mobile launcher 1 makes its way back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after undergoing upgrades and tests in preparation for the agency’s Artemis II mission.

Artemis II is the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. Artemis II will send four astronauts around the Moon, testing NASA’s foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the SLS rocket, and Orion spacecraft.

Image credit: NASA/Jamie Peer