Artemis II Rocket Rolls Back to Launch Pad, Crew Enters Quarantine

NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft began rolling to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:20 a.m. EDT on Friday, March 20, 2026. The rollout was briefly delayed earlier in the day due to high winds [NASA].

Crawler-Transporter 2 and the Journey to the Pad

The massive SLS rocket is being transported atop the crawler-transporter 2, a specialized vehicle designed to carry the weight of the rocket and mobile launcher. The journey covers approximately 4 miles along the crawlerway and is expected to seize up to 12 hours [NASA]. A live feed of the rollout is available on NASA’s YouTube channel.

Crew Quarantine Begins

Simultaneously, the four astronauts assigned to the Artemis II mission – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen – entered quarantine at 5 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, March 19, 2026, in Houston, Texas. This precautionary measure is designed to ensure the crew’s health and minimize the risk of illness before launch [NASA]. The crew will remain in quarantine for approximately one week before traveling to Kennedy Space Center about five days prior to the anticipated launch.

Recent Repairs and System Checks

The return to the launch pad follows repairs made in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) after a wet dress rehearsal in February revealed an issue with helium flow to the rocket’s upper stage [NASA]. While in the VAB, engineers as well refreshed and retested several systems, including replacing batteries in the upper stage, core stage, and solid rocket boosters, and recharging Orion’s launch abort system batteries. A seal on the core stage liquid oxygen feed line was also replaced [NASA].

Launch Window and Viewing Options

The current launch target is no earlier than April 1, 2026 [Kennedy Space Center]. Guests wishing to view the launch from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex must purchase an Artemis II Launch Viewing Package, as annual passes and other forms of admission will not be valid for launch viewing [Kennedy Space Center]. The Main Visitor Complex Launch Viewing Package ($99 plus tax) is sold out, but limited quantities of the Feel the Heat Launch Viewing Package remain available [Kennedy Space Center].

Other Upcoming Launches

• March 20: Electron | Eight Days a Week | Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand | 16:10 UTC
• March 20: Falcon 9 | Starlink 17-15 | Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. | 21:48 UTC
• March 22: Soyuz 2.1a | Progress MS-33 | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan | 11:59 UTC

Starship Booster 19 Testing

In other launch news, SpaceX’s Super Heavy first stage Booster 19 completed an initial test campaign on Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas, culminating in a short static firing [NASASpaceflight.com]. Pad 2 features upgrades over Pad 1, including dual booster quick disconnects for liquid methane and liquid oxygen, enabling more efficient propellant loading [NASASpaceflight.com]. The next Starship flight, Flight 12, is likely to occur no earlier than the second half of April.