Artemis II rocket displays America 250 logo as NASA nears moon flight

NASA is preparing for its Artemis II mission, set to launch in early February 2026, marking the first crewed lunar flight since Apollo 17 in 1972. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for Artemis II now features a new “America 250” decal on its solid rocket boosters, commemorating the United States’ 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. This patriotic addition accompanies NASA’s iconic worm logo, symbolizing the agency’s historic and ongoing space exploration efforts. The Artemis II mission will serve as a critical crewed test flight of the SLS and Orion spacecraft, with astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen onboard. Artemis II aims to fly astronauts on a 10-day mission around the Moon, similar to Apollo 8, and will be the longest crewed test flight in history. The mission is expected to break records for the furthest human spaceflight from Earth, with the Orion capsule traveling