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Artemis II rocket positioned for first crewed lunar flight in 50 years
NASA's Space Launch System rocket reached Launch Pad 39B at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, marking a critical milestone before the Artemis II mission sends four astronauts around the Moon.
Journey to the launchpad
The 98-meter-tall rocket began its 6.5-kilometer trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building at 07:04 local time (12:04 GMT) and arrived at the pad nearly 12 hours later, at 18:41 (23:42 GMT). A specialized crawler-transporter carried the vehicle at a maximum speed of 1.3 kilometers per hour, with live broadcasts capturing the slow-moving progress.
Final preparations underway
Over the coming days, NASA teams will conduct a "wet dress rehearsal" to test fueling procedures and countdown protocols. The earliest possible launch date is 6 February, though additional windows are available through April if needed.
The Artemis II crew-NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen-watched the rollout from Kennedy Space Center. They will soon begin final training inside the Orion spacecraft, which sits atop the rocket.
Mission objectives and timeline
Artemis II will not land on the Moon but will instead orbit it, paving the way for the Artemis III lunar landing, currently targeted for no earlier than 2027-though experts suggest 2028 is more realistic.
The 10-day mission will send the crew farther into space than any humans have traveled before. After two days in Earth orbit, the spacecraft will enter a trajectory taking it 64,000 kilometers beyond Earth-roughly one-fifth the distance to the Moon-before continuing toward lunar orbit.
"We're going to have the Earth out the window as a single ball, something none of us have seen in that perspective,"
Christina Koch, NASA astronaut
During their lunar flyby, the crew will spend three hours observing the Moon's far side, capturing images and studying its geology to support future landings at the lunar south pole.
European contributions critical to success
A key component of the Orion spacecraft, the European Service Module, was built by Airbus in Bremen, Germany. The module provides propulsion, power via solar arrays, and life-support systems, including oxygen, nitrogen, and water for the crew.
"We basically can't get to the Moon without it. It provides the propulsion that Orion needs to get us to the Moon."
Sian Cleaver, Airbus spacecraft engineer
Airbus teams are already assembling additional modules for future Artemis missions, each requiring 18 months of construction and thousands of engineering hours to ensure flawless performance.
Safety remains top priority amid delays
The Artemis program has faced years of setbacks, but NASA insists it will not rush the launch at the expense of crew safety. John Honeycutt, chair of the Artemis mission management team, emphasized the agency's commitment to a secure mission.
"We're going to fly when we're ready... Crew safety is going to be our number one priority."
John Honeycutt, NASA
For now, the Artemis II rocket stands ready on Pad 39B, with teams working around the clock to prepare for humanity's next giant leap toward the Moon.
