what kind of fuel does artemis 2 use

Artemis II uses cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as its main rocket propellants. NASA says the Space Launch System’s core stage carries these super-cooled fuels, which together total about 733,000 gallons for the rocket.

Quick Scoop

• Fuel type: liquid hydrogen.
• Oxidizer: liquid oxygen.
• Why this matters: this combination is the same basic propellant family used for NASA’s Space Shuttle main engines, and it provides very high efficiency for a heavy-lift rocket.

In plain terms

The Artemis II rocket is not powered by a single “fuel” like a car. It uses a two-part cryogenic propellant system : liquid hydrogen is the fuel, and liquid oxygen lets it burn efficiently in the RS-25 engines.

One detail to know

These propellants must be kept extremely cold, which is why NASA’s fueling tests focus so much on handling and leak control.

If you want, I can also explain why NASA chose hydrogen , or break down how the Artemis II rocket’s engines work.