NASA Prepares Artemis II Rocket with Crew Upgrades for Lunar Flightby Clarence OxfordLos Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 22, 2025NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which will send four astronauts on a mission around the Moon next year, has been upgraded with new safety and performance enhancements. While structurally similar to the Artemis I rocket, the latest version incorporates lessons learned from its uncrewed predecessor. For Artemis II, NASA kept the main components - the core stage, RS-25 engines, solid rocket boosters, and the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) - but introduced refinements across systems. To counter vibration levels observed on Artemis I, NASA added strakes near booster attachment points and requalified rocket electronics to withstand higher forces. Artemis II's 10-day flight will be the first with astronauts under the Artemis program, paving the way for lunar surface expeditions and preparing for eventual missions to Mars.