NASA’s mega Moon rocket has arrived at the launch pad in Florida as final preparations begin for the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years.
The 98 m tall Space Launch System was moved to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral after a journey lasting almost 12 hours. The rocket was carried vertically from the Vehicle Assembly Building along a 4 mile route, travelling at a top speed of 0.82 mph.
The rocket began moving at 07:04 local time and reached the pad at 18:41 local time, with live coverage capturing the slow procession as it made its way across the space centre.
With the rocket now in position, NASA said final tests and checks will take place, including what it calls a “wet dress rehearsal”, which will test fuel loading and countdown procedures ahead of launch.
NASA said the earliest possible launch date for Artemis II is 6 February, although further launch windows are available later in the month, as well as in March and April.
The 10 day Artemis II mission will see four astronauts travel around the Moon. The crew includes Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, alongside Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who were present at the Kennedy Space Center to watch the rocket’s arrival.
It will be the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 landed in December 1972. Artemis II will not land on the lunar surface but is designed to lay the groundwork for a future landing under the Artemis III mission.
NASA said Artemis III will take place “no earlier than” 2027, although experts believe 2028 is the earliest realistic date.
Koch described seeing the rocket as an emotional moment.
“Astronauts are the calmest people on launch day. And I think… it feels that way because we’re just so ready to fulfil the mission that we came here to do, that we’ve trained to do,” she said.
Hansen said he hoped the mission would inspire people across the world.
“The Moon is something that I’ve taken for granted. I’ve looked at it my whole life, but then you just glance at it and glance away,” he said.
“But now I’ve been staring at it a lot more, and I think others will be joining us and staring at the Moon a lot more as there will be humans flying around the far side and that is just good for humanity.”
Before heading towards the Moon, the first two days of the mission will be spent orbiting Earth.
“We’re going to be going into an orbit almost right away that is 40,000 miles out like a fifth of the way of the Moon,” Koch told BBC News.
“We will have the Earth out the window as a single ball, something none of us have seen in that perspective.
“And then we’re going to travel a quarter of a million miles away… we’re going to do a lot of science and operations along the way.”
While flying around the far side of the Moon, the crew will spend three hours observing the lunar surface, taking images and studying its geology to help prepare for a future landing at the Moon’s south pole.
A key component of the Orion spacecraft was built in Bremen, Germany. The European Service Module, developed by Airbus for the European Space Agency, provides propulsion, power, air and water for the mission.
“The European Service Module is so important we basically can’t get to the Moon without it,” said Sian Cleaver, a spacecraft engineer at Airbus.
“It provides the propulsion that Orion needs to get us to the Moon.”
She added:
“We’ve also got these big tanks full of oxygen and nitrogen, which are mixed to make air, and also water, so that we can provide everything that the astronauts need in the crew module to keep them alive on their journey.”
With the rocket now on the launch pad, NASA teams are working around the clock to prepare for lift off. The mission has faced years of delays, but the agency said safety remains the priority.
John Honeycutt, chair of the Artemis mission management team, said:
“I’ve got one job, and it’s the safe return of Reid and Victor and Christina and Jeremy.
“We’re going to fly when we’re ready… crew safety is going to be our number one priority.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
