NASA moves Artemis II moon rocket to launch pad for February flight

NASA rolled its 32‑story Space Launch System rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to launch pad 39B as teams begin pad checkouts and prepare for a wet dress rehearsal ahead of a possible February Artemis II flight.

NASA rolled its 32‑story Space Launch System rocket out of the Vehicle Assembly Building early Saturday and began a roughly four‑mile move to launch complex 39B. The 5.7‑million‑pound vehicle rode an upgraded crawler at under 1 mph while hundreds of workers, family members and guests watched. Artemis II crew members Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen and new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman were present for the milestone. The rollout begins a sequence of pad tests and rehearsals ahead of the planned crewed flight around the moon. Key details: - The rocket is the agency's Space Launch System and stands about 32 stories tall; it weighed about 5.7 million pounds for the rollout. - The vehicle was carried on an upgraded Apollo‑era crawler and moved to launch pad 39B at a top speed just under 1 mph over a roughly four‑mile trip. - The Artemis II crew named in the report are commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. - Engineers plan about two weeks of pad checkouts followed by a critical "wet dress" fueling rehearsal around Feb. 2 when nearly 800,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen will be loaded. - NASA lists five February launch opportunities (Feb. 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11) but said rollout timing means only the final three opportunities would likely remain for Artemis II. - Teams have implemented upgrades and procedural changes since the 2022 Artemis I campaign to address earlier propellant loading problems and hydrogen leaks, according to launch officials. Summary: The rollout moves the SLS into an intensive pad‑checkout period leading to a wet dress fueling test that will help determine whether a February launch attempt is possible. If the fueling rehearsal and other checks proceed without major issues, teams could target one of the remaining February windows; otherwise, the next set of opportunities would open in March. A planned crew rotation to the International Space Station and NASA's goal to avoid flying two piloted spacecraft at once were described as potential scheduling factors that could affect the final launch date.