NASA has begun rolling out the Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, marking a key milestone ahead of its upcoming crewed Moon mission.
The rollout began at 12:20 a.m. EDT on Friday after being delayed earlier due to high winds. The journey to the launch pad is expected to take nearly 12 hours, with the crawler-transporter carrying the rocket and spacecraft about four miles along the crawlerway.
The move follows a successful wet dress rehearsal conducted on February 21. However, engineers had earlier identified a technical issue that prevented helium from flowing to the rocket’s upper stage, prompting a return to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs.
During this period, teams carried out multiple upgrades and system checks, including battery replacements across various stages, activation of new flight termination system batteries, and maintenance of key components such as the liquid oxygen feed line and umbilical connections.
Artemis II is set to carry four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back. The mission will mark the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis program.
As NASA finalises Artemis II rollout, crew begins quarantine
As Engineers plan to begin rolling the Artemis II rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B, the Artemis II crew entered quarantine at 5:00 pm CDT on Wednesday in Houston to ensure their health ahead of launch. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency limit contact with others for a week in Houston before flying to Kennedy approximately five days prior to launch to continue their quarantine in the astronaut crew quarters.
Both the rocket rollout and crew quarantine are key milestones leading up to the earliest possible launch date of Wednesday, April 1, with the launch window extending through Monday, April 6.
The 11-million-pound stack, including the mobile launcher, will be transported by NASA’s crawler-transporter 2 at roughly 1 mph along the four-mile crawlerway from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. The rollout, which could take up to 12 hours, will be available for viewing on NASA’s YouTube channel.
Timing may shift depending on technical preparations or weather conditions.
NASA rolls out Artemis II SLS rocket for first crewed Moon mission
