crawler-transporter Archives

January 17, 2026

Artemis II Begins Its Trek To The Launch Pad

SLS began its slow and deliberate journey to Launch Pad 39B from the Vehical Assembly Building (VAB) early Saturday morning at Kennedy Space Center, marking a major milestone in the agency’s quest to return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in more than half a century.

The 322-foot-tall rocket emerged from the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building at 7:04 a.m. EST, carried atop Crawler-Transporter 2 for the four-mile trek to the historic launch complex. The combined stack — rocket, Orion capsule, and mobile launcher — weighs approximately 11 million pounds and is traveling at a top speed of just under one mile per hour, with the journey expected to take between eight and twelve hours. At the time of this writing, that journey is still underway and should conclude late this afternoon or early this evening.

Hundreds of space center workers, family members, and guests gathered along the crawlerway to witness the spectacle as the towering white rocket inched past against a clear Florida sky. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and the four Artemis II astronauts were on hand to mark the occasion.

“Wow. LETS GO!!!” Commander Reid Wiseman posted on X alongside a photo of the rocket moving out of the VAB. In a subsequent post, he called the SLS and Orion “engineering art.”

Wow. LETS GO!!! pic.twitter.com/xozFfnJI8c
— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) January 17, 2026

Once the rocket reaches Launch Pad 39B, teams will immediately begin connecting ground support equipment, including electrical lines, environmental control system ducts, and cryogenic propellant feeds. Engineers will then power up the integrated systems for the first time to verify everything functions properly with the mobile launcher and pad infrastructure.

A wet dress rehearsal is scheduled for late January or early February. During this critical test, ground crews will load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the rocket’s tanks and conduct multiple countdown sequences, including several holds and recycles in the final minutes to validate launch procedures.

Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said a February launch remains possible but emphasized that the timeline depends on the outcome of upcoming testing. “We need to get through wet dress,” she said during a pre-rollout briefing yesterday.

NASA’s launch window opens February 6, with additional opportunities on February 7, 8, 10, and 11. Due to the orbital mechanics governing the mission’s trajectory to the Moon, only about one week of launch opportunities exists each month, followed by roughly three weeks without viable windows.

Best Spots To View Artemis II Rollout

The Artemis II rollout is scheduled to begin no earlier than 7 AM ET NASA tomorrow (Saturday, January 17). The four-mile journey from the VAB to Launch Pad 39B should take between 8-12 hours at about one mile per hour, so you’ll have a long window to get a glimpse of the proceedings as they happen.

Best Places To Watch

Playalinda Beach will be ideal since it’s the closest public land to both the VAB and Pad 39B (as close as 3.6 miles to 39B from the parking lots). Lot 1 (the southermost) gives you the best angle toward the crawlerway route.

While the National Park Service has not announced any specific closures related to the rollout, it would be a good idea to call ahead to confirm that Playalinda is open and has not reached capacity. That’s when all the parking lots are full, and if it reaches that level of attendance, new entrants are denied. Also, keep in mind that an entrance fee is required. The best way to pay for that is to visit the NPS website here.

In Titusville

The Titusville waterfront on the Indian River is another great place to see Artemis II emerging and then heading towards LC-39B. The parks are free, there’s plenty of parking, with food and other options nearby.

Space View Park – Free, always open, and directly across the water with views of both the VAB and 39B

Max Brewer Bridge itself offers an elevated perspective if you can access it on foot (often closed to traffic for launches, but rollouts may be different).

Rotary Riverfront Park – a favorite for launch viewers, this easy-in, easy-out location off of US-1 will be a great spot to see Artemis II.

William J. Manzo Memorial Park one of Titusville’s lesser known parks, this location has a great view across the river to the VAB and LC-39B.

KSC Visitor Complex – They don’t appear to be offering special rollout viewing packages, and the VAB obstructs direct sightlines from many spots there anyway, so later in the day may be the best time to try to view Artemis II.

The Saturn V Center is the closest public facility within the complex grounds, but it is unclear if tour buses will be affected by the rocket move. Assuming everything works out and the public can get to the SVC, it will be a nice day after a cool start, so that may be the best option. Enquire at KSCVC for more information — things change fast around Kennedy Space Center and we do not want to mislead anyone by posting old or incorrect info.

Relax, You’ve Got All Day To See This

Since the rollout is a slow, multi-hour event rather than a blink-and-miss-it launch, you’ve got flexibility. About an hour after rollout begins, the rocket is expected to emerge from the VAB, offering the public its first full look at the United State’s first crewed moon rocket in over fifty years. Arriving around 8 a.m. should let you see it emerge and begin the trek to the launch pad. If you arrive at 10am, that’s fine, the rocket will have traveled only part of the way.

NASA Official Releases Artemis II Launch Windows, Targets Window 17 For Crewed Moon Mission

Artemis II in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Photo: NASA

NASA has published its launch window availability for Artemis II, the agency’s first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years, with opportunities spanning February through April 2026. The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are scheduled to roll out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B NET January 17th.

The four-mile journey aboard Crawler-Transporter 2 will take up to 12 hours before the integrated launch structure and rocket arrive at their final destination.

After Artemis II is rolled out to LC39B, engineers and technicians will start pad integration tasks, including connecting essential ground support equipment such as electrical lines, environmental control system ducts, and cryogenic propellant feeds. After those tasks are successfully completed, teams will then power up all integrated systems for the first time at the pad.

All windows are 120 minutes, except for March 11th, which offers a slightly shorter 115-minute window.

Lighting Constraints Drive Window Selection

The published windows reflect careful consideration of lighting conditions, so that Orion is not in darkness for more than 90 minutes at a time post-launch, therefore allowing its solar arrays to keep generating power and the spacecraft to stay within its thermal limits. Dates that would put Orion into extended eclipses are removed from consideration.

Another consideration is that the launch window constraints ensure optimal conditions for tracking cameras and abort scenarios during the critical ascent phase.

NASA notes all dates remain subject to adjustments as the mission progresses through final preparations.

First Launch Opportunities Open February 6

The earliest available launch window opens on February 6, 2026, at 9:41 pm ET, with a 2-hour window. Launch opportunities continue through February 11th, followed by a brief gap, then resume mid-month. Each window in the February series shifts progressively later into the night, with the final February opportunity on the 11th occurring at 1:05 AM EST.

Should weather or technical issues prevent a February launch, NASA has identified windows throughout March and April. The March series begins on the 6th at 8:29 PM ET, while April windows open as early as 6:24 PM ET on April 1st—notably the only daytime launch opportunity in the released schedule, occurring approximately 1.3 hours before sunset.