Artemis II rollout to pad targeted as NASA outlines launch options

NASA may roll the stacked Space Launch System and Orion from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39-B as soon as next Saturday, and has identified launch options in February, March and April pending pad testing and a flight readiness review.

NASA could move the mobile launcher topped with the Space Launch System rocket and Orion from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39-B as early as next Saturday. The move would be a roughly four-mile slow roll atop crawler-transporter 2. Teams will perform pad testing and other checks before any launch date is chosen. Artemis II would be Orion's first crewed mission and aims to send a four-person crew past the moon and back without landing. Key details: - A potential rollout is targeted as early as next Saturday, moving the stacked SLS and Orion about four miles from the VAB to Launch Pad 39-B on crawler-transporter 2. - NASA has listed launch options on these days: Feb. 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11; March 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11; and April 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. - Artemis II is planned as a roughly 10-day crewed flight past the moon; the crew announced for the mission is commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and the Orion vehicle has been named Integrity. - Recent technical work included replacing a bent cable tied to the flight termination system, replacing and testing a hatch-pressurization valve, and repairing leaky ground support hardware used to load gaseous oxygen. - At the pad the mobile launcher will be connected to power, environmental control ducts and cryogenic propellant feeds, followed by a final crew walkdown and a wet dress rehearsal that would load more than 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen during a practice countdown. - NASA said it may perform more than one wet dress rehearsal, could roll the SLS back to the VAB if issues arise, and would hold a flight readiness review to select a target launch date. Summary: If the rollout proceeds, teams will complete pad hookups, a final crew walkdown and at least one wet dress rehearsal before a flight readiness review determines a launch date. NASA emphasized crew safety and noted that technical fixes, propellant procedures and weather could require additional time or a return to the VAB. The agency has identified specific launch days within February, March and April as options while monitoring systems closely.