Astronaut Spots Moon Rocket From Space Station

Chris Williams looked down from the International Space Station and saw something extraordinary: the rocket that will soon carry his friends around the moon.

The NASA astronaut snapped a photo of the Space Launch System rocket on its Florida launch pad Saturday, sharing the moment on social media Monday. "That shadow is from the rocket that will soon take four of my friends on a trip around the moon," Williams wrote about the image showing Kennedy Space Center from 250 miles above Earth.

The timing was pure chance. The ISS happened to pass over Florida just as the massive rocket arrived at Launch Pad 39B on January 17, riding atop a crawler transporter that once carried Apollo and space shuttle missions.

Artemis 2 could launch as soon as February 6, carrying four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon. Commander Reid Williams, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will make history together.

Glover will become the first person of color to leave low Earth orbit. Koch will be the first woman to fly around the moon, and Hansen will be the first non-American on a lunar mission.

The crew will test the Orion spacecraft in Earth orbit first, then fire their engines to swing around the moon and return home. It's the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 landed in 1972, ending a 50-year gap in human moon exploration.

Why This Inspires

This mission represents more than technological achievement. It shows how space exploration has evolved to reflect our world's diversity, with barriers breaking as we reach for new frontiers.

The astronauts will conduct science and health experiments preparing for longer moon stays. NASA plans to land astronauts on the lunar surface by 2027 or 2028 with Artemis 3, building toward a permanent moon presence.

Williams admitted his photo wasn't perfect and wished he'd grabbed a different lens. But watching your colleagues' rocket from space while you float above Earth? That's a view that needed sharing, technical perfection or not.

The rocket still faces tests before launch, including a fueling rehearsal scheduled for no later than February 2. NASA has backup launch windows through April and promises to prioritize safety over speed.

After decades of circling Earth, humanity is finally heading back to explore our cosmic neighbor.