KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL — NASA began the historic transport of its Artemis II moon rocket early Saturday morning. The move marks a major milestone as the agency prepares for the first crewed mission toward the moon in more than half a century.

The 322-foot-tall Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule started the journey at 7 a.m. ET. The craft is moving from the Vehicle Assembly Building—the giant hangar where it was built—to Launch Pad 39B. This rollout is a final major step to ensure the rocket is ready for its crewed flight.

A massive crawler-transporter is carrying the 11 million-pound rocket assembly. Because the rocket is so heavy, the transporter moves at about one mile per hour. The four-mile trip to the pad is expected to take up to 12 hours.

Testing and Rehearsals

Once the rocket is secured at the launchpad, mission teams will perform a final practice run known as a "wet dress rehearsal." Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson will lead engineers through this simulation.

During the test, teams will fuel the rocket and conduct a practice countdown until 29 seconds before liftoff. This allows NASA to check for technical issues, such as fuel leaks, and see how the rocket's systems work under actual launchpad conditions.

Mission Goals

The Artemis II mission is currently scheduled to launch during a window between February 6 and 11, 2026. The 10-day flight will carry four astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.

The mission will be a critical test of life-support systems and the technology used to link spacecraft together. This flight serves as a bridge to future lunar exploration, including the Artemis III mission planned for 2027, which aims to land astronauts on the moon's south pole.

The New Space Race

The United States is working to stay ahead as international competition for lunar exploration increases. China has set a goal to land its own astronauts on the moon by 2030.

The public can watch live coverage of the rollout and other mission milestones on the NASA YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@NASA/streams.