NASA's Artemis II mission is moving closer to its historic launch, with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft commencing their rollout to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, no earlier than Saturday, January 17, 2026. This significant event, potentially a 12-hour journey via the massive crawler-transporter 2, prepares the rocket for final testing and integration. The Artemis II mission is poised to be the first crewed flight to the vicinity of the Moon in over five decades, since Apollo 17 in 1972. It will carry four astronauts: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch (all from NASA), and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. Notably, Glover will become the first person of color and Koch the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit, while Hansen will be the first non-American to participate in a lunar mission. The 10-day mission is a crewed lunar flyby, meaning it will orbit the Moon but will not land. Its primary objectives include testing the Orion spacecraft's life support and communications systems, practicing critical maneuvers, and collecting biomedical and lunar observations. This mission is a crucial precursor to Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts near the lunar south pole as early as 2027 or 2028. The initial launch window for Artemis II opens on February 6, 2026, with backup dates extending into March and April. A full-scale wet dress rehearsal, involving fueling the rocket and a simulated countdown, is planned for late January or early February to confirm readiness. This global scientific endeavor holds significant interest for an Indian audience, particularly as India itself has ambitious plans for a crewed lunar mission by around 2040, following its successful Chandrayaan-3 landing.