NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft reached launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday after a 4-mile, 12-hour crawl from the Vehicle Assembly Building.
The rocket is being prepared for the Artemis II mission, which will carry three Americans and a Canadian on a trip around the moon and take humans further from Earth than ever before.
NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen have been training for the highly anticipated mission since they were announced as part of the crew in 2023.
The space agency is currently aiming to launch the 10-day flight no earlier than February 6, but depending on how final preparations progress, it could not take off until April.
NASA’s team of engineers and technicians will now set about preparing the Artemis II rocket for dress rehearsal, an important procedure that tests refueling operations and countdown procedures.
“The team is scheduled to load the rocket with cryogenic or supercold propellants, complete the countdown, and practice safely draining the propellants from the rocket no later than February 2,” NASA said in a news release.
It added that additional dress rehearsals may be required to ensure the rocket is ready to fly.
Depending on how final preparations progress, NASA could even return the SLS and Orion to the vehicle assembly building for further work before launch.
Artemis II will pave the way for the Artemis III mission, an even bolder undertaking that will return humans to the lunar surface after more than five decades of absence. This mission is currently scheduled for 2027 at the earliest.
The first Artemis mission took place in 2022 and included the maiden flight of the SLS rocket, which sent an empty Orion spacecraft on a journey around the moon.
Beyond Artemis III, NASA plans to build a permanent base on the lunar surface where astronauts can live and work, similar to how they currently operate on the International Space Station. The lunar base will also serve as a stepping stone for the first manned mission to Mars.
Crew member Reid Wiseman recently said of the Artemis II mission: “We are definitely feeling the pressure.”
