Artemis II crew rehearses Orion boarding during countdown test at Kennedy

Artemis II crewmembers rehearsed boarding their Orion spacecraft during a countdown demonstration test inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew included NASA astronauts Christina Koch (mission specialist), Victor Glover (pilot), and Reid Wiseman (commander), and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist), and were led by Bill Owens of the Closeout Crew.

The team rode an elevator to the 275-foot level of the mobile launcher and walked to the crew access arm as they prepared to board Orion atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. The operation, conducted Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, simulated the launch day timeline including suit-up, walkout, and spacecraft ingress and egress.

Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. This image, taken by Joel Kowsky, was chosen by NASA’s Headquarters photo team as one of the best of 2025. Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky.

Key Topics

Science, Artemis Ii, Orion Spacecraft, Space Launch System, Kennedy Space Center, Vehicle Assembly Building