{"id":17063,"date":"2026-01-17T21:42:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T13:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/the-start-of-a-very-long-journey-nasas-artemis-moon-rocket-makes-the-slow-trip-to-its-launch-pad\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T21:42:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T13:42:57","slug":"the-start-of-a-very-long-journey-nasas-artemis-moon-rocket-makes-the-slow-trip-to-its-launch-pad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/the-start-of-a-very-long-journey-nasas-artemis-moon-rocket-makes-the-slow-trip-to-its-launch-pad\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The start of a very long journey\u2019: NASA\u2019s Artemis moon rocket makes the slow trip to its launch pad"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NASA\u2019s Space Launch System rocket and its mobile launcher head for the launch pad. (NASA Photo \/ Keegan Barber)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASA\u2019s massive Space Launch System rocket crept to its Florida launch pad today at a top speed of about 1 mph, marking the first step in a journey that will eventually send astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.<\/p>\n

The 4-mile trek to Launch Complex 39B at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center began at 7 a.m. ET (4 a.m. PT) and lasted nearly 12 hours. Because the rocket with its mobile launcher stands more than 300 feet tall and weighs millions of pounds, the trip required the use of a crawler-transporter \u2014 the same vehicle used for the Apollo and space shuttle programs, now upgraded for NASA\u2019s Artemis moon program.<\/p>\n

Liftoff for the Artemis 2 mission could come in March, but there\u2019s lots to be done in the weeks ahead. After today\u2019s rollout, the mission team will conduct a thorough checkout of the Space Launch System and its Orion crew spacecraft. Then there\u2019ll be a \u201cwet dress rehearsal,\u201d during which the launch team will fuel the rocket and count down to about T-minus 30 seconds. (Update: An initial wet dress rehearsal on Feb. 2 was stopped at roughly T-minus 5 minutes due to a liquid hydrogen leak, and NASA will be scheduling a second rehearsal.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have, I think, zero intention of communicating an actual launch date until we get through wet dress,\u201d NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told reporters.<\/p>\n

Artemis 2 is slated to send three NASA astronauts and one Canadian astronaut on a 10-day journey tracing a figure-8 route around the moon. The trip will take them as far as 4,600 miles beyond the lunar far side \u2014 farther out than any human has gone before.<\/p>\n

One of the crew members, Christina Koch, recalled an exchange she had with Apollo 13\u2019s Fred Haise at a commemorative event. \u201cBefore I even said, \u2018Hello, sir, great to see you,\u2019 he goes, \u2018I heard you\u2019re going to break our record,’\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Mission commander Reid Wiseman said he\u2019s already seeing the moon in a different light. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most magical things for me in this experience is, when I looked out a few mornings ago, there was a beautiful crescent in the morning sunrise, and I truly just see the far side,\u201d he said. \u201cYou just think about all the landmarks we\u2019ve been studying on that far side, and how amazing that will look. And seeing Earthrise, just flipping the moon over and seeing it from the other perspective, is what I think when I look out right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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