NASA's Artemis II ICPS Moon Rocket Stage-2 Arrives at Kennedy Space Center

NASA's Artemis II ICPS Moon Rocket Stage-2 Arrives at Kennedy Space Center

The flight-ready Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage-2 (ICPS-2) has been delivered by United Launch Alliance (ULA) to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the Artemis II launch. The ICPS-2 was manufactured by ULA in collaboration with Boeing to serve as the upper stage to the Space Launch System (SLS) mega rocket. It will launch an international crew of four astronauts around the Moon on the Artemis II mission.

ULA built the stage at the rocket factory in Decatur, Alabama, then shipped ICPS-2 to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for final testing and check out activities.

With that work now completed, ICPS-2 was moved from ULA's Delta Operations Center high bay to NASA's Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at Kennedy Space Center. Standing more than 45 feet tall and secured in its Vertical Transport Fixture, the ICPS rode aboard an Elevating Platform Transporter that provided hydraulic leveling and precision positioning capabilities along the route.

Technicians at the MPPF will load hydrazine in the ICPS-2's attitude control system to make in-flight maneuvers and prep the stage for its forthcoming transfer to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to undergo stacking operations.

The Artemis II test flight will be sending NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.

Artemis II will launch no earlier than April 2026.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Learn more Space Launch System - Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS):
https://www.nasa.gov/reference/space-launch-system-interim-cryogenic-propulsion-stage-icps-2/
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/icps_fact_sheet_11172021.pdf

Learn more about NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket: nasa.gov/sls

Follow updates on the Artemis blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Image Credit: United Launch Alliance

Image Date: March 11, 2025

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