NASA is rolling out its giant Moon rocket to the launch pad for a second time, ahead of a mission to send astronauts around the Moon – something not attempted in more than 50 years. The 98m tall Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft are making the four-mile journey from their assembly building to Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The move comes after a problem with the rocket's helium system forced NASA to abandon a launch attempt in March and return the vehicle indoors for repairs. Engineers say the issue has now been fixed and hope that a series of final tests at the pad will confirm the rocket is ready for an early-April launch window.
Just after nightfall, the SLS emerged from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) – one of the largest buildings in the world – and began its slow crawl towards the Atlantic coast. Standing taller than Big Ben's clock tower at nearly 100m, the rocket and its launch platform weigh about 5,000 tonnes. They are being carried by Crawler-Transporter-2, a vehicle designed to transport rockets to the launch pad.
Once the rocket reaches the pad, engineers will spend several days checking that the repairs have worked as intended. They will also rehearse parts of the countdown without fueling the rocket. The Artemis II crew has entered pre-flight quarantine and will soon travel to Florida to participate in final preparations for the launch opportunity targeted for April 1. This mission will be the first crewed flight of the Artemis program and aims to loop around the Moon before returning to Earth.
The move comes after a problem with the rocket's helium system forced NASA to abandon a launch attempt in March and return the vehicle indoors for repairs. Engineers say the issue has now been fixed and hope that a series of final tests at the pad will confirm the rocket is ready for an early-April launch window.
Just after nightfall, the SLS emerged from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) – one of the largest buildings in the world – and began its slow crawl towards the Atlantic coast. Standing taller than Big Ben's clock tower at nearly 100m, the rocket and its launch platform weigh about 5,000 tonnes. They are being carried by Crawler-Transporter-2, a vehicle designed to transport rockets to the launch pad.
Once the rocket reaches the pad, engineers will spend several days checking that the repairs have worked as intended. They will also rehearse parts of the countdown without fueling the rocket. The Artemis II crew has entered pre-flight quarantine and will soon travel to Florida to participate in final preparations for the launch opportunity targeted for April 1. This mission will be the first crewed flight of the Artemis program and aims to loop around the Moon before returning to Earth.
