(Updated) NASA targeting Tuesday for rollout of Artemis I Moon rocket to launch pad ahead of Aug 29 launch

Teams at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida have completed the final testing and checkouts of the Artemis I Moon rocket ahead of rolling to Launch Pad 39B, with the agency targeting Tuesday, August 16, for the rollout of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.

The crawler-transporter will roll inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and under the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft later today. Teams are currently working to prepare the integrated stack for rollout, the agency said in a statement.

The live stream of the mega moon rocket rollout begins at 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday, August 16 on the NASA Kennedy YouTube channel.

#Artemis I's @NASA_SLS rocket is ready to roll! 🚀 Teams at @NASAKennedy finished the final testing and checkouts of the Moon rocket. They are targeting August 16 for rollout to Launch Pad 39B ahead of a targeted August 29 launch.Learn more HERE>> https://t.co/9xXqHpEqxZ pic.twitter.com/IdCHdrZYe5

— NASA Marshall (@NASA_Marshall) August 15, 2022

The uncrewed Artemis I mission is planned to lift off on August 29 with plenty of science including CubeSats to hunt for lunar surface water deposits and experiments on how cells respond to space, to name a few.

Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of SLS and Orion. During this flight test, the Orion spacecraft will fly farther from Earth than any human-rated vehicle has ever flown before.

The spacecraft will perform a flyby of the Moon, using lunar gravity to gain speed and propel itself thousands of miles beyond the moon, almost half a million km from Earth - further than any human has ever travelled.

Update 1

After a nearly 10-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building, the SLS rocket and Orion arrived atop Launch Complex 39B early this morning at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Space Launch System rocket and @NASA_Orion spacecraft for the #Artemis I mission arrived atop Launch Complex 39B early this morning at @NASAKennedy! Launch is currently targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29 at 8:33 a.m.📸 NASA/Joel KowskyMORE >> https://t.co/trE5yrcPv2 pic.twitter.com/mjhxrCk61f

— NASA_SLS (@NASA_SLS) August 17, 2022