SpaceX could have Artemis competition. What to know
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Though NASA has begun building Artemis 3, Artemis 2 hasn't left Earth. Delays have held it up, but parallel development is also just a complicated process.
NASA integrated the Artemis II Orion stage adapter with the rest of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on Wednesday in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Orion spacecraft for Artemis 2 has been installed on its Space Launch System rocket as preparations for the flight continue during the shutdown.
NASA's Artemis II astronauts will embark on the first crewed U.S. mission to the moon in half a century. It could launch early in 2026.