Moon mission patch beamed onto rocket assembly building: Space photo of the day

a colorful mission insignia is projected below a painted blue and red logo and opposite a painted American flag on the outside of a colossal building

The newly revealed Artemis 2 mission crew insignia is projected onto the exterior of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 4, 2025. (Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)

NASA on April 4, 2025 released its long-awaited mission patch for the first mission to fly astronauts to the moon in more than 50 years. To celebrate, the Artemis 2 insignia was projected that night onto the exterior of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Why is this amazing?

The release of the mission patch, while minor in comparison to other milestones, is another step forward to returning astronauts to the moon more than a half century after the Apollo program ended. The Artemis 2 crew of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will become the first people to fly on NASA's Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which are being stacked together in the VAB.

The Artemis 2 launch is currently targeted for no later than April 2026.

How big is that projection?

The projected Artemis 2 patch appears to be about the same size as the painted NASA "meatball" logo above it, such that each is more than 100 feet (30 meters) tall.

Of course it was a lot easier and quicker to project the Artemis 2 insignia than it was to apply the NASA emblem. The last time the latter needed to be reapplied, it required 700 gallons of red, white and blue paint.

a colorful mission patch is projected below a painted red, white and blue logo on the side of a towering building

The Artemis 2 patch (below the NASA insignia in this photo of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center) designates the mission as "AII," signifying not only the second major flight of the Artemis campaign, but also an endeavor of discovery that seeks to explore for all and by all. (Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)

What is happening behind the projected patch?

Inside the VAB's High Bay 3, the Space Launch System rocket's core stage and side-mounted solid rocket boosters have been mated and stand ready for pre-flight tests atop a mobile launch platform. Next, the launch vehicle stage adapter will be lifted and secured atop the core stage.

From there, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, Orion stage adapter, and the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 2 mission will be added to the stack, completing the SLS's launch configuration.

Where can I learn more?

You can read more about the Artemis 2 crew patch and the progress stacking the mission's rocket for launch.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com, a daily news publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of "Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space” published by Smithsonian Books in 2018.In 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Space Camp Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021, he was honored by the American Astronautical Society with the Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History. In 2023, the National Space Club Florida Committee recognized Pearlman with the Kolcum News and Communications Award for excellence in telling the space story along the Space Coast and throughout the world.