The Snow Moon glows behind Artemis 2’s Space Launch System rocket. (Image credit: NASA/Sam Lott)
NASA has released a spectacular photo of February’s full “Snow Moon” rising behind the Artemis 2 Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, capturing both the rocket and its destination ahead of its historic mission to orbit Earth’s natural satellite with a crew of four astronauts.
Why is it amazing?
The photo shows the Snow Moon, which is named after the heavy snowfall common throughout February, rising behind the upper section of SLS as it sat waiting at Launch Pad 39B of NASA‘s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 1.
The Space Launch System rocket is NASA’s modern day answer to the Apollo-era Saturn V and has been billed as a vital component of the agency’s Artemis program, which seeks to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years.
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What is it?
Only the very top of the rocket is visible, composed of the Launch Abort System tower and its white fairings, which form an outer shield over the Orion Spacecraft, hiding it from view as it sits atop the orange structural adaptor connecting the spacecraft with its workhorse core stage.
The Crew Access Arm is also visible bridging the rocket and tower, with the “White Room” at its end emblazoned with the Artemis logo. This will be the final stop for NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen before they take their seats in the Orion spacecraft, bound for the far side of the moon.
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At the time of the picture, NASA teams were hard at work preparing for the Artemis 2 wet dress rehearsal, when the rocket is fully fueled ahead of a mock launch, allowing engineers to isolate and troubleshoot lingering issues with the hardware and countdown.
In this case, a problem with a liquid hydrogen fuel leak and other complications led to the launch being delayed from Feb. 8 to an undetermined date in March.
Check out our Artemis 2 mission explainer to find out more!