NASA’s moon rocket is finally hitting the road.
The agency announced that the fully stacked Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft will begin their four-mile trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B no earlier than Saturday, January 17, with first motion expected around 7 a.m. ET. The journey aboard Crawler-Transporter 2 will take up to 12 hours.
| Distance | Approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) |
|---|---|
| Speed | 0.82–1 mph (1.3–1.6 km/h) loaded |
| Total Time | 10–12 hours, depending on conditions and stops |
| Method | Crawler-Transporter 2 (CT-2), a 6.6-million-pound vehicle |
| Purpose | Transport the fully assembled rocket from the VAB to Launch Pad 39B for wet dress rehearsal and final launch preparations |
Teams have been working around the clock to close out remaining tasks ahead of rollout, though the date could shift if additional time is needed for technical preparations or weather.
The rollout marks the beginning of final integration and testing for what will be the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit in more than 50 years. Once at the pad, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will conduct a final walkdown before launch preparations continue.
A wet dress rehearsal is planned for late January, during which teams will load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants and run through countdown procedures. The earliest launch window opens February 6, with additional opportunities on February 7, 8, 10, and 11.
Author: Charles Boyer
NASA kid from Cocoa Beach, FL, born of Project Apollo parents and family. I’m a writer and photographer sharing the story of spaceflight from the Eastern Range here in Florida.
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