The Orion spacecraft, which will be used in the Artemis II mission, has been installed on the SLS rocket. This was announced by NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy.
The last major hardware component before Artemis II launches early next year has been installed. ????
“Integrity” is our Orion spacecraft that will hold the Artemis II astronauts on their trip around the Moon. It’s now fully attached to the Space Launch System and we are one… pic.twitter.com/tjq5RW9Abd
— NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy (@SecDuffyNASA) October 20, 2025
The Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch in February 2026. It will be the first manned flight beyond Earth’s orbit since 1972. As part of this program, launched using an SLS rocket, the Orion spacecraft will fly around the Moon on a free return trajectory and then return to Earth. Its crew consists of four people: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
On October 16, the Orion spacecraft, in which four astronauts will head to the Moon, was delivered to the Vertical Assembly Building after completion of work in another building at the center. Specifically, an emergency launch termination system was installed on the top of the capsule. After that, the spacecraft was mounted on the SLS rocket. According to Duffy, this is the last major piece of equipment before the launch of Artemis II.
Preparations for the mission continue despite the US government shutdown, which has led to the suspension of most NASA operations. Duffy’s message is currently the only official statement regarding the assembly, as NASA is not updating its website or social media channels during the shutdown.
It is worth noting that preparations for Artemis II are taking place amid uncertainty over who will head NASA. One of the candidates is billionaire Jared Isaacman. However, it is also possible that Sean Duffy will move from acting to permanent head of NASA. A decision on this is expected in the coming weeks.
Earlier, we reported on the conflict between NASA and SpaceX over the contract for the Artemis III mission.
