Kosmonautika

January 17, 2026, 10:02 PM EST. NASA is rolling the Space Launch System rocket to the launch pad as Artemis II readies for its crewed lunar flyby. The plan lines up two goals: Artemis II will loop around the Moon and return; Artemis III aims to land astronauts, but not yet with this mission. A NASA official, Patty Casas Horn, said Artemis II lacks a lunar lander capability and is intentionally not focused on landing. The agency treats each step as a risk-managed build-and-test cycle, expanding capabilities before attempting surface touchdown. The rollout underscores the cautious, incremental approach NASA uses to verify systems, crew procedures and safety ahead of eventual lunar surface missions.