NASA is preparing to roll its Artemis II Moon rocket—NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft—out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center and head to Launch Pad 39B in Florida. The rollout is targeted to begin no earlier than 7 a.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 17, marking a major milestone as the agency works toward a crewed mission around the Moon.
NASA said the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will travel to the pad on the mobile launcher, carried by crawler-transporter 2 at about one mile per hour along a four-mile route. NASA described the fully stacked vehicle as about 11 million pounds and said the trip could take up to 12 hours, while Space.com reported the move could take about 8 to 10 hours. NASA said the rollout timing can shift if extra technical work is needed or if weather conditions are not acceptable.
Rollout timeline and live coverage
NASA planned a rollout and mission overview news conference for Friday, Jan. 16, at 12 p.m. Eastern, with speakers including Artemis II mission management team chair John Honeycutt and Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson. Space.com also reported that NASA scheduled a press conference at 12 p.m. EST on Jan. 16 to discuss the rollout and plans tied to a potential February launch.
For rollout day, NASA said live views from Kennedy Space Center would begin at 7 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, Jan. 17. NASA also scheduled an Artemis II crew media event at 9 a.m. Eastern featuring NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and the Artemis II crew: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. NASA said these streams would be available online, including via NASA’s YouTube channel.
Weather limits for the move
NASA laid out specific weather “do not roll” rules for the trip to the pad. The agency said it would not proceed if the lightning forecast is greater than 10% within 20 nautical miles of the launch area during rollout. NASA also said rollout would be avoided if the hail chance exceeds 5%, if sustained winds are forecast above 40 knots (or peak winds above 45 knots), or if temperatures at the launch area are below 40°F or above 95°F.
What happens after the rocket reaches the pad
NASA described the rollout to Launch Pad 39B as another milestone leading into final prelaunch work for Artemis II. In the weeks after rollout, NASA said teams will complete final preparations at the pad and could roll the stack back to the Vehicle Assembly Building if additional work is required.
NASA said the Artemis II launch window opens as early as Friday, Feb. 6, but the mission management team will choose a launch date after assessing readiness following a wet dress rehearsal that includes the spacecraft, launch infrastructure, and the crew and operations teams. Space.com reported that NASA plans a fueling test—also described as a wet dress rehearsal—on Feb. 2, and that NASA would use the results to help decide whether it can proceed with a Feb. 6 launch attempt. Space.com also reported the February launch window runs from Feb. 6 to Feb. 10.
Why Artemis II matters
NASA described Artemis II as an approximately 10-day test flight and the first crewed flight under the Artemis campaign. Space.com reported Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed Artemis mission and the first astronaut mission to the Moon in more than 50 years. Space.com also noted NASA previously flew an uncrewed Artemis I mission in November 2022 using an SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, and reported that the Orion spacecraft for Artemis II includes life support systems intended to sustain astronauts during the mission.
NASA said Artemis is aimed at sending astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery and economic benefits, while building a foundation for future crewed missions to Mars. NASA also framed Artemis II as a step toward new U.S.-crewed missions to the Moon’s surface and toward a sustained presence on the Moon.
