NASA's next Moonship reaches last stop before launch pad

"The Orion spacecraft, which will fly four people around the Moon, arrived inside the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida late Thursday night, ready to be stacked on top of its rocket for launch early next year. The late-night transfer covered about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from one facility to another at the Florida spaceport. NASA and its contractors are continuing preparations for the Artemis II mission after the White House approved the program"

"The sustained work could set up Artemis II for a launch opportunity as soon as February 5 of next year. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will be the first humans to fly on the Orion spacecraft, a vehicle that has been in development for nearly two decades. The Artemis II crew will make history on their 10-day flight by becoming the first people to travel to the vicinity of the Moon since 1972."

"The Orion spacecraft, developed by Lockheed Martin, has made several stops at Kennedy over the last few months since leaving its factory in May. First, the capsule moved to a fueling facility, where technicians filled it with hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propellants, which will feed Orion's main engine and maneuvering thrusters on the flight to the Moon and back. In the same facility, teams loaded high-pressure helium and ammonia coolant into Orion propulsion and thermal control systems."

Orion spacecraft moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center to be stacked on its rocket for an early next-year launch. The late-night transfer covered about 6 miles between facilities. NASA and contractors continued Artemis II preparations under a White House exception to work through the government shutdown. A launch opportunity could occur as soon as February 5. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will crew the 10-day mission, becoming the first humans to reach the Moon’s vicinity since 1972. Lockheed Martin’s Orion was fueled, loaded with helium and ammonia coolant, fitted with a launch abort tower, and shielded with ogive panels.

Read at Ars Technica