NASA is getting ready for a big and historic moment as it prepares to roll out the Artemis II rocket, which will carry astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. The rollout is expected to begin early on Saturday, January 17, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The rocket is called the Space Launch System (SLS). It along with the Orion crew capsule, will be moved from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Complex 39B. This is a slow and careful process because the full rocket stack is very big and massive. It weighs nearly 5,000 tonnes (11 million pounds). NASA will use its special Crawler-Transporter 2 to move the rocket about 6.5 kilometres (4 miles) to the launch pad. The entire journey is expected to take 8 to 12 hours and will be livestreamed for the public.
Artemis II will have four astronauts as crew
NASA Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson explained the process, saying, “We will be at a cruising speed of just under 1 mile per hour. It’ll be a little slower around the turns and up the hill, and that journey will take us about eight to 10 hours to get there.”
The Artemis II mission is a major step forward for NASA. It will send four astronauts on a 10-day mission around the Moon before returning safely to Earth. The crew includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, who will be the first Canadian astronaut to travel to lunar orbit.
This mission will not land on the Moon, but it is extremely important. Artemis II will test the Orion spacecraft’s systems with astronauts on board. It also includes life support, navigation, and communication systems. These tests are necessary for future missions that will actually land astronauts on the lunar surface.
Artemis II Rehearsal is set for February 2
Once the rocket reaches the launch pad, NASA will carry out final checks and a wet dress rehearsal. The rehearsal is a full practice run that includes loading fuel into the rocket. This rehearsal is scheduled for February 2. If everything goes smoothly, Artemis II could launch during one of several windows which are February 6–11, March 6–11, or April 1–6.
Artemis II follows the successful Artemis I mission that had no crew and flew around the Moon in 2022. Together, these missions are part of NASA’s long-term plan to return humans to the Moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars.
