🏳️🌈Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera (Alex)@Alexphysics13NASA's Artemis II Orion Integrity is on its way to meet with its SLS rocket in the VAB. Currently on the road and expected to arrive in a few minutes.
🏳️🌈Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera (Alex)@Alexphysics13Turning at the intersection, NASA worm logo now visible.Integrity spent the last several weeks at the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) to be encapsulated in its launch ogive and have its launch abort system installed. Now, it's time for it to meet with its rocket in the VAB.
🏳️🌈Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera (Alex)@Alexphysics13For the most part, Orion has been the long pole when it comes to Artemis II schedule. Now the main driver for schedule delays will be the final few months of integration and launch preparations as well as the rollout to the pad and final rehearsals ahead of launch.
Elisar Priel@ENNEPS·Artemis II your ride to the moon has arrived.NASA's Orion "Integrity" Capsule has rolled out from the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF), to the VAB at KSC for stacking atop the awaiting SLS rocket, ahead of launch early next year.@NASASpaceflight
Lockheed Martin Space@LMSpaceDesigned for exploration. Engineered for protection.Orion’s Launch Abort System stands ready as the first and fastest safeguard — ready to protect astronauts in milliseconds if the mission calls for it. Explore how Orion’s LAS ensures every mission begins with confidence:
Harper Cheyenne 🚀@RocketGirlHarpOrion has arrived in the VAB ahead of Artemis II, scheduled to fly a crew of four to the Moon NET February 2026 🏹
Ben Kriz@BenKrizOrion has arrived at NASA’s VAB to be stacked on SLS for Artemis II—humanity’s next step to the Moon! 🚀🌕Beyond proud to work alongside an incredible team who made this moment possible! Next stop, launchpad 39B and then the Moon. Let’s Go!
🚀Orion is rolling out! 🌗Last night, the Artemis II Orion crew capsule rolled out to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.This step brings Artemis II closer to its historic launch in 2026, paving the way for America’s return to the Moon! 🇺🇸
NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy@SecDuffyNASAThe last major hardware component before Artemis II launches early next year has been installed. 🚀🇺🇸🌕 “Integrity” is our Orion spacecraft that will hold the Artemis II astronauts on their trip around the Moon. It’s now fully attached to the Space Launch System and we are one step closer to mission launch!
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Oct. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move signifying mission readiness, NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) team recently joined and connected the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)-developed Orion spacecraft with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the upcoming Artemis II mission. The Orion spacecraft, named Integrity by its astronaut crew, was transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center where it was lifted atop the SLS rocket in High Bay 3 on Oct. 19. This marks a major milestone for the Artemis II mission as NASA and industry work toward a historic launch to the Moon with four astronauts early next year."Integration of SLS and Orion represents a major milestone in our progress on Artemis," said Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy. "Soon, we will be launching four astronauts around the Moon for the first time in over half a century on Artemis II — the latest demonstration of American dominance in space."Following the mating, teams will make electrical and data connections between Orion and SLS, along with umbilical connections from the mobile launch platform to the spacecraft. EGS will conduct integrated tests of Orion and SLS before they are rolled out to Launch Pad 39B for a wet dress rehearsal next year."The full stack of Orion on the SLS is a truly spectacular sight," said Robert Lightfoot, president of Lockheed Martin Space. "Our teams have been working tirelessly to finalize these last steps and ensure Orion takes the crew to the Moon and brings them home safely."
“Prior to the countdown demonstration test, the agency had planned to conduct a day of launch closeout demonstration. This demonstration was paused when a blemish was found on the crew module thermal barrier, preventing hatch closure until it could be addressed. A repair was completed on Nov. 18 allowing the closeout demo to successfully complete on Nov. 19. To allow lessons learned from the closeout demo to be incorporated into the planning for the countdown demonstration test, the decision was made to proceed into water servicing next and place the countdown demonstration test after this servicing completes.”https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/12/04/orion-hatch-blemish-delays-launch-day-rehearsal-for-artemis-2-astronauts/
Is Orion’s heat shield really safe? New NASA chief conducts final review on eve of flight.Eric Berger – Jan 9, 2026 9:17 AM
1/9/2026 1:48PM PT - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/charlescamarda_nasa-artemisheatshield-orionheatshield-activity-7415490596121067520-ZtzEMy response to Eric Berger:Sorry Eric, what you perceived were my feelings of "being disrespected" were actually feelings of outrage at what I was witnessing. Some of the exact same people responsible for failing to understand the shortcomings of the Crater Analysis tool (used tiny pieces of foam impacts to Shuttle tiles predict a strike from a piece of foam which was 6000 larger and which caused the Columbia Accident) were on the Artemis Tiger Team now claiming they could predict the outcome of the Orion heatshield using a tool (similar to CRATER) called the Crack Identification Tool (CIT) which was also not physics based and relied on predictions of the key paramenter, permeability, which they claim to be the "root" cause, pressure, to vary by three orders of magnitude (thats over 1000x). I guess the fact that the you, the Artemis Program Tiger Team and the IRT missed this minutiae and the fact that they were using this tool to predict failure and risk was not important to note. You also missed that the only person to create a true multiphysics analysis to try to predict spallation, Dr. Stephen Scotti, stated that his code could only predict cracking and not spallation and could not be used quantatively, only qualitatively (hopefully I dont have to explain to you what that means).The rage you witnessed was my observing the exact behaviors used to construct of risk and flight rationale which caused both Challenger and Columbia Accidents. Using "tools" inappropriately and then claiming results to be "Conservative." Not to mention the reliance on Monte Carlo simulations to predict failure probabilities which were also proven to be innacurate by orders of magnitude in my book "Mission Out of Control" which you claim to have read.I suggest, in the spirit of transparency, you should ask NASA to release just the "Findings" of NESC Report TI-23-01849 Volume I. Finding 1 states the analysis cannot accurately predict crack initiation and propagation at flight conditions. And there was so much more which was conveniently not presented.I hope Jared understands what a challenging job he will have trying to fix the culture at NASA. If those are the people he is relying on to keep our crews safe, our only hope is to have faith in God and pray. I hope Jared sees the issues and will have the courage to do what is necessary.Otherwise, a good attempt at "journalism."
