Final testing phase begins for first human lunar flight since the Apollo era.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has rolled its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center ahead of the Artemis II mission, the agency’s first crewed lunar flight in more than five decades. The 32-story rocket, weighing roughly 5.7 million pounds, was transported from the Vehicle Assembly Building on a crawler system, beginning several weeks of final testing and preparation.
NASA officials say the rollout signals the start of tightly scheduled pad operations, including system checks and a full fueling rehearsal involving nearly 800,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant.
“Artemis 2 will be a momentous step forward for human spaceflight,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated earlier this month. “This historic mission will send humans farther from Earth than ever before and deliver the insights needed for us to return to the moon.”
Artemis II is scheduled to carry four astronauts, three from the United States and one from Canada, on an approximately 10-day mission that will loop around the moon and return to Earth, testing the Orion spacecraft in deep space conditions.
Launch opportunities are limited by orbital mechanics, with possible windows in February or March depending on test results and coordination with other crewed missions. The mission follows the successful uncrewed Artemis I flight in 2022 and is intended to validate systems needed for future lunar landings later in the Artemis program.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For NASA Administrator Isaacman as he oversees the preparations for the launch next month.
- For NASA engineers and technicians as they engage in testing and decision-making during the launch preparations.
- For the safety and focus of the Artemis II astronauts as they prepare for the mission.
Sources: USA Today, MSN, CBS News
