NASA's Artemis I mega moon rocket rolls out to KSC launch pad
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Update, Aug. 17: SLS arrived at pad 39B around 7:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday, completing a nearly 10-hour trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building. Launch is still set for 8:33 a.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 29.
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Update, Aug. 16: NASA began rolling out the first Space Launch System rocket just before 10 p.m. Tuesday. The operation was delayed by nearly an hour due to lightning in the area. It should arrive at pad 39B's gate after 7 a.m. Wednesday. The live stream above will run through the night.
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Watch live Tuesday night as NASA rolls out the massive Space Launch System rocket to its launch pad ahead of liftoff to the moon later this month.
Teams at Kennedy Space Center's historic Vehicle Assembly Building will use a Crawler-Transporter to move the 322-foot rocket about four miles to neighboring pad 39B. The process is set to kick off at 9 p.m. EDT and should take about 12 hours.
After it arrives at the pad, teams will prep for a Monday, Aug. 29, liftoff of the rocket and its uncrewed Orion capsule. Launch of the mission labeled Artemis I is scheduled for 8:33 a.m. EDT that day.
Orion's 42-day flight will take it to lunar orbit and back to Earth for splashdown. If successful, it will pave the way for a crewed version known as Artemis II followed by an Artemis III lunar touchdown sometime after 2025.
Artemis is NASA's program designed to put astronauts back on the moon and, someday, establish a long-term presence before moving onto Mars.
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Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA's Artemis I mega moon rocket rolls out to KSC launch pad
