At 7:04 AM this morning, NASA took the next step in returning humans to the moon for the first time in 52 years. Artemis II, comprising of both the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS), rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center heading towards Launch Complex 39B. The roughly four mile journey is expected to take up to 12 hours.
Thousands of NASA employees, contractors, and family members who have worked for years on the Artemis mission came out to KSC to watch their next moon rocket pass by. The crew of Artemis II, along with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, held a press conference discussing the goals of the mission and what NASA is doing to prepare for a future in lunar exploration.
What Still Needs Done?
After Artemis gets settled in at LC-39B, final integrations of the vehicle will be performed. A pivotal milestone after rollout will be the wet dress rehearsal, expected to occur in either late January or early February. During this test, Artemis will be fully fueled as teams conduct a practice launch countdown, testing both the pad infrastructure and the vehicle itself. This will give teams the opportunity to make change to ensure launch day goes off without a hitch.
If any issues arise that can’t be addressed at the pad, the vehicle will need to be rolled back to the VAB for repair. During the Artemis I campaign, this happened several times.
NASA has released launch opportunities until the end of April, with the earliest possible launch date being February 6th. Artemis is still very much a newer launch vehicle, so don’t be surprised if that date slips as adjustments are made.
Artemis II is the first mission since 1972 to return humans to the moon. Crew safety is the most important aspect of this mission, and Artemis II will launch when everything is ready.
