VAB

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher as it rolls out of High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building for the first time to Launch Complex 39B, Thursday, March 17, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA’s moon rocket is finally hitting the road.

The agency announced that the fully stacked Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft will begin their four-mile trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B no earlier than Saturday, January 17, with first motion expected around 7 a.m. ET. The journey aboard Crawler-Transporter 2 will take up to 12 hours.

Artemis II Rollout Details
Artemis II Rollout: VAB to LC-39B
Distance Approximately 4 miles (6.4 km)
Speed 0.82–1 mph (1.3–1.6 km/h) loaded
Total Time 10–12 hours, depending on conditions and stops
Method Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2), a 6.6-million-pound vehicle
Purpose Transport the fully assembled rocket from the VAB to Launch Pad 39B for wet dress rehearsal and final launch preparations

Teams have been working around the clock to close out remaining tasks ahead of rollout, though the date could shift if additional time is needed for technical preparations or weather.

The rollout marks the beginning of final integration and testing for what will be the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit in more than 50 years. Once at the pad, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will conduct a final walkdown before launch preparations continue.

A wet dress rehearsal is planned for late January, during which teams will load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants and run through countdown procedures. The earliest launch window opens February 6, with additional opportunities on February 7, 8, 10, and 11.

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Workers preparing Artemis II in NASA's VAB on February 25. 2025.
SLS Solid Rocket Boosters inside Bay 3 of VAB on February 25, 2025
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

NASA offered reporters and press photographers a rare chance to go inside the VAB today to view the progress of the assembly of Artemis II, the next and first crewed launch of the SLS rocket. That mission will carry four astronauts on a circumlunar flight and is currently slated to fly in April 2026.

Workers preparing Artemis II inside the VAB at Kennedy Space Center on February 25, 2025.
Workers preparing Artemis II inside the VAB at Kennedy Space Center on February 25, 2025.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
The Core Stage of SLS undergoing preparations inside the VAB on February 25, 2025 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
The Core Stage of SLS undergoing preparations inside the VAB on February 25, 2025
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Currently, the Core Stage of Artemis II is in its own work area, across the aisle from where the Mobile Launch Platform with the Solid Rocket Boosters are sitting. Work continues on both parts of the vehicle.

Workers gathered around a Solid Rocket Booster slated for Artemis II on February 25, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Workers gathered around a Solid Rocket Booster slated for Artemis II on February 25, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Status of Artemis II

As of now, NASA’s Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than April 2026. The mission aims to send four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—on a 10-day journey around the Moon, marking the first crewed mission of the Artemis program and the first human venture beyond low Earth orbit since 1972.

The Core Stage of Artemis II in its work bay on February 25, 2025
The Core Stage of Artemis II in its work bay on February 25, 2025
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

The mission has experienced several delays, primarily due to issues identified during the uncrewed Artemis I mission in November 2022. Post-flight analyses revealed unexpected charring on the Orion capsule’s heat shield, prompting extensive investigations and subsequent design modifications to ensure astronaut safety during re-entry. Seemingly resolved for the time being, the Orion capsule slated for Artemis II is undergoing preparations at Kennedy Space Center.

Artemis II's Interstage awaits its turn to be assembled onto the SLS rocket.
Artemis II’s Interstage awaits its turn to be assembled onto the SLS rocket.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

The Solid Rocket Boosters have completed their stacking operations and engineers will integrate the SLS core stage, currently undergoing processing in the VAB’s High Bay 2, in the coming weeks. No specific timetable for the start and completion of that operation has been given.

Space Available: the area where the Core Stage will be moved into and mounted to the Solid Rocket Boosters is clearly visible on February 25, 2025
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Two of the emergency escape baskets were inside the VAB on February 25, 2025.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Upper portion of High Bay 3 in the VAB
Upper portion of High Bay 3 in the VAB
Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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