The mobile launcher for NASA’s Artemis II mission has rolled to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 380-foot-tall structure will be used to assemble, process, and launch the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission, which will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon.
The mobile launcher began its journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on August 16, 2023, atop the crawler-transporter 2. It arrived at the launch pad on August 17, 2023, and will undergo a series of tests before the SLS and Orion spacecraft are stacked on top of it.
The Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch in November 2024. It will be the first time that an American spacecraft has orbited the Moon since 1972. The mission will also test the Orion spacecraft’s systems in lunar orbit, paving the way for the first crewed Artemis mission in 2025.
ML1 began its journey from the west park site at approximately 8:27 a.m. EDT on August 16, 2023, atop the crawler-transporter 2. It will stop at the gate of pad 39B and resume its journey on August 17.
Once ML1 arrives at the launch pad, teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program will conduct a series of tests and continue ground systems upgrades for both ML1 and the launch pad. These preparations will include a launch day demonstration for the crew, closeout crew, and the pad rescue team to rehearse operations, as well as testing the emergency egress system and the new liquid hydrogen sphere.
The successful rollout of the mobile launcher is a major milestone for the Artemis II mission.The successful rollout of ML1 is a major milestone for the Artemis II mission. It demonstrates that NASA is making good progress on its plans to return humans to the Moon. It demonstrates that NASA is making good progress on its plans to return humans to the Moon.
