On the outside of the “white room”-a hermetically sealed chamber that astronauts pass through to enter the Orion spacecraft before launch-now features the NASA Artemis program’s logo. This update comes in anticipation of the Artemis II mission, which will send a crew of four on a 10-day orbit around the Moon. The “white room” serves as the astronauts’ final stop before they take their places in the spacecraft. Until recently, it was painted exclusively white to maintain cleanliness and prevent contaminants from entering Orion.
In early December, engineers Sean McCrary and Cathy Mortensen applied the Artemis logo to the outside of the “white room.” The work was carried out at a height of about 90 meters above the ground. The Artemis II crew, comprising Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Specialist Christina Koch (all from NASA), and Specialist Jeremy Hansen (from the Canadian Space Agency), will test the life support and control systems aboard their Orion Integrity capsule. The mission launch is planned for February 2026. The astronauts will be the first to utilize this “white room” and the first to fly on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
The Artemis logo, introduced by NASA in 2019 for the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing as part of the Apollo 11 program, includes a stylized letter “A” from the Apollo program’s symbolism. Previously, in the Gemini (1963-1965), Apollo (1967-1972), and Space Shuttle (1981-2011) programs, the exteriors of the “white rooms” were not adorned with images. In mid-January 2026, the SLS with the Orion spacecraft will be positioned at Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center.
