NASA has completed the delivery of the rocket to the launch site for the first crewed flight to the Moon in the last half-century.
According to the BBC, the 98-meter Space Launch System rocket traveled from the assembly building to Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for nearly 12 hours. The transport process was carried out using a special transport platform at a speed of just over one kilometer per hour.
In the coming days, NASA specialists will conduct final checks and rehearsals for fueling. The earliest launch date for the Artemis II mission is set for February 6, but backup dates are also planned for late February, March, and April. As part of the mission, astronauts will undertake a ten-day flight around the Moon, without planning to land on its surface.
The crew consists of Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, as well as Canadian Jeremy Hansen, who observed the rocket's movement at Cape Canaveral. This mission will be the first crewed flight since Apollo 17, which reached the Moon in December 1972. The astronauts will spend the first two days in orbit around Earth before heading to the Moon, which is located about 400,000 kilometers away.
During the flyby of the far side of the Moon, the crew will allocate three hours for observations, studying geological features and taking photographs, which will lay the groundwork for a future landing in the vicinity of the lunar south pole. The Artemis III mission, which includes a Moon landing, is not scheduled before 2027; however, according to the BBC citing experts, a more realistic date is considered to be 2028.
A key component of the Orion spacecraft, which will carry the astronauts, was manufactured in Bremen, Germany. The European Service Module, developed by Airbus, will provide the spacecraft with necessary systems, including engines, electricity, oxygen, and water for the crew.
Mission Control Team Leader John Hanicutt noted:
“My primary task is to ensure the safe return of Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy. We will launch only when we are ready. Crew safety is our top priority.”
Despite years of delays in the program, NASA emphasizes that safety remains the highest priority.
