NASA's SLS Rocket Returns to Pad; Artemis II Crewed Lunar Test Flight Targets No Earlier Than April 1

NASA's 322-foot-tall Space Launch System rocket returned to the launch pad as the agency prepares for the Artemis II crewed test flight to the Moon, targeted no earlier than April 1, 2026. The mission will carry astronauts on a circumlunar trajectory, marking the first crewed deep-space flight since Apollo 17 in 1972.