Artemis II: The Slow, Careful Move to the Moon Launch Pad

NASA has rolled the Artemis II Space Launch System and the Orion crew capsule to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The integrated stack was carried from the Vehicle Assembly Building on Crawler-Transporter 2, a nearly four-mile route that was completed in about twelve hours. The crawler moved the stack at a maximum speed of 0.82 miles per hour while teams repositioned the crew access arm and checked ground systems. The 11-million-pound vehicle stands about 322 feet tall.

In the coming days, engineers will prepare for a wet dress rehearsal that is scheduled for the end of January and will test fueling and countdown procedures. Additional wet dress rehearsals may be required, and if work is needed the rocket could be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Four crew members — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — will fly a roughly ten-day mission that will circle the Moon before returning to Earth. The launch window opens as early as February 6, 2026, and managers will confirm a launch date after assessing readiness.