On Friday, March 20, at 11:21 a.m. EDT, NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and its Orion spacecraft reached Launch Pad 39B. This followed an 11-hour transit from the Vehicle Assembly Building located at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The journey commenced at 12:20 a.m. EDT, with NASA’s crawler-transporter 2 initiating its 4-mile haul. It carried the combined SLS and Orion, mounted on the mobile launcher. Progressing at a top speed of only 0.82 mph, the transporter deliberately and gradually moved the 322-foot-tall lunar rocket and spacecraft towards the launch site.
With the rocket now positioned at Pad 39B, NASA personnel are commencing the concluding phase of prelaunch activities. The earliest potential launch date is Wednesday, April 1, with the early April launch period extending until Monday, April 6.
The Artemis II mission will see Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, alongside Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, undertake a 10-day expedition circumnavigating the Moon.
Positioned within an era of unprecedented innovation and exploration, Artemis II represents a significant advancement towards future U.S.-crewed lunar surface missions. This endeavor aims to establish a lasting human presence on the Moon, which will, in turn, aid the agency’s efforts to send astronauts to Mars.
