NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, originally slated for the first Artemis mission in November 2021, is now targeting a 2022 liftoff, a NASA source confirms.
As NASA's powerful new heavy-lift rocket, the SLS is designed to propel future crews back to the Moon—and potentially Mars. Its debut flight, Artemis I, aims to send an uncrewed Orion capsule on a lunar orbit test.
While NASA publicly holds to the November timeline, sources cited by Ars Technica indicate a likely slip to summer 2022.
Engineers recently completed stacking the SLS, including its side boosters, and topped it with a mass simulator mimicking Orion. Now, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, teams are conducting critical modal vibration tests to distinguish the rocket's natural resonances from external forces. This data refines the flight software.
Originally set to wrap in July, these tests continue, as noted by NASA spokesperson Kathryn Hambleton—putting the program two months behind. More checks lie ahead.
Next, the simulator will be swapped for the real Orion capsule, followed by transport to Cape Canaveral for a "wet dress rehearsal." This will load super-chilled hydrogen and oxygen propellants and run a full countdown simulation—without ignition—likely in November or December.
Post-rehearsal, the stack returns for final inspections. If all proceeds smoothly, liftoff could occur in early spring 2022. Issues spotted during the wet dress could push it to summer. NASA plans a schedule update after modal tests and Orion integration.
A 2021 Artemis I launch was never realistic, signaling broader shifts: Artemis II (crewed lunar flyby) slips to 2023 or 2024, while Artemis III (human lunar landing) targets no earlier than 2025.
