Visitors to Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex this February and March will have the opportunity to witness an extraordinary sight: the mighty Space Launch System (SLS) rocket standing on the famous Launch Complex 39B, ready to send astronauts back to the Moon for the first time since 1972.
This is the very rocket that will send astronauts on NASA’s Space Launch System Artemis II mission - a journey around the Moon - and guests can see it up close as part of the Kennedy Space Centre Bus Tour, included with the cost of admission. For the first time in more than 50 years, NASA is preparing to send humans back to the Moon.
Artemis II will launch NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10‑day mission to orbit the Moon. It will be the first crewed flight of the SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft and builds on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022.
The mission will demonstrate critical capabilities needed for deep space exploration and pave the way for humanity’s return to the Moon. The SLS rocket is currently positioned on Kennedy Space Centre’s Launch Complex 39B. Guests can take the Kennedy Space Centre Bus Tour to view the rocket on the pad - an experience available nowhere else.
Originally slated for early February, the Artemis II mission is now targeting a launch date of no earlier than March 2026, giving visitors an extended period to see this historic Moon‑bound rocket on the pad before it carries astronauts farther into space than any human has travelled in more than 50 years. At Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex, less than 1hr from Orlando, guests can go beyond their imagination and discover something real. From the dawn of space exploration to current and ongoing missions, visitors can get a hands-on feel for the story of humans in space.
Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex opens daily at 9am, with closing times varying by season.
