NASA says its 98-metre Space Launch System (SLS) mega-rocket will be slowly rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on January 17, weather and technical conditions permitting.
The move marks a major milestone in preparations for Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon in more than five decades.
The rollout will be carried out using NASA’s crawler-transporter, covering the roughly four-mile distance at walking pace, a journey expected to take up to 12 hours.
Once positioned at Pad 39B, engineers will begin final integrated testing, including connecting ground support systems and carrying out launch rehearsals.
These tests will culminate in a wet dress rehearsal, during which the rocket will be fully fuelled and countdown procedures practiced ahead of launch.
The Space Launch System is the most powerful rocket ever built, standing taller than the Statue of Liberty and capable of generating more thrust at liftoff than the Saturn V rockets used during the Apollo era.
It is designed to send astronauts and heavy cargo beyond Earth orbit, supporting NASA’s long-term lunar and deep-space exploration goals.
Artemis II will carry four astronauts; NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on an approximately 10-day mission that will take them around the Moon and back to Earth.
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The mission will not include a lunar landing but is intended to test spacecraft systems and operations with a crew aboard for the first time.
NASA officials say the January 17 rollout date could change if weather conditions deteriorate or if additional technical work is required.
A final flight readiness review will determine when the mission is cleared for launch.
Artemis II is a critical step in NASA’s broader Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the Moon, establish a sustained presence there, and use the experience gained to support future crewed missions to Mars.