NASA's Artemis II rocket has returned to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center following completion of repairs in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The space agency is preparing for its second attempt to launch a crew of four astronauts on a mission to fly by the moon.

The rocket's return to the launch pad marks a significant milestone in NASA's preparations for the crewed lunar flyby mission. The Artemis II mission represents the first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo era, as part of NASA's broader Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the moon.

NASA plans to conduct the launch attempt early next month, though the agency has not specified an exact date. The mission will carry four astronauts around the moon in what is designed to be a test flight ahead of future lunar landing missions.

The Artemis program represents NASA's long-term strategy to establish a sustainable human presence on and around the moon. Artemis II follows the uncrewed Artemis I mission, which successfully completed a lunar orbit in late 2022 as a test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.