Crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2) makes its manner alongside the crawlerway to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view atop the cell launcher on the pad are the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
At roughly 5:30 p.m. ET as we speak (April 25, 2022), NASA’s Artemis I Moon rocket is scheduled to leave launchpad 39B atop the crawler-transporter and begin its 4-mile trek to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Once inside the VAB, teams will work on replacing a faulty upper stage check valve and a small leak within the tail service mast umbilical ground plate housing on the mobile launcher while the supplier for the gaseous nitrogen makes upgrades to their pipeline configuration to support Artemis I testing and launch. Following completion, teams will return to the launch pad to complete the next wet dress rehearsal attempt.
Wildflowers frame a view of the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft on Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 21, 2022. Also in view are the three lightning protection towers and the water tower. The SLS and Orion atop the mobile launcher were transported to the pad on crawler-transporter 2 for a prelaunch test called a wet dress rehearsal. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. In future Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a stepping stone on the way to Mars. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
The NASA Kennedy Twitter account will release an update once the roll has begun. Watch a live stream of the rocket departing the pad and arriving at VAB on the Kennedy Newsroom YouTube channel and check back here for updates.
