Santa Claus (NASA Engineer Jay Naylor) poses with NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft and an SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on December 11, 2025. The Orion spacecraft is stacked on top of the SLS in October 2025.
The Artemis II test flight is scheduled to launch in early 2026, and will be NASA’s first crewed mission under Artemis’ command. Astronauts on their first flight aboard Orion will confirm that all of the spacecraft’s systems are operating as designed with the crew on board in the actual deep space environment. Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discoveries and economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first manned missions to Mars – for the benefit of all.
Image credit: NASA/Adeline Morgan