Artemis I Moon mission: Teams on track to roll out SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to launch pad

NASA is gearing up to roll the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Friday, Nov. 4, at 12:01 a.m. ahead of launch. The agency is targeting Monday, Nov. 14, for the launch of the Artemis I mission to the Moon.

"Minor repairs identified through detailed inspections are mostly completed. Preparations are underway to ready the mobile launcher and VAB for rollout by configuring the mobile launcher arms and umbilicals and continuing to retract the access platforms surrounding SLS and Orion as work is completed," NASA said in a statement on Friday.

NASA will plan to move the crawler transporter into position outside of the VAB ahead of rolling into the facility early next week. The agency will also host a media teleconference on Thursday, Nov. 3, to discuss the status of its Artemis I flight test ahead of the rollout.

Platform F is now the only platform left surrounding @NASA_SLS and @NASA_Orion in the Vehicle Assembly Building at @NASAKennedy. The vehicle is undergoing final preparations for its roll out to Pad 39B, for a launch to the Moon on #Artemis I, as early as Nov. 14. pic.twitter.com/iXr4eEWXNK

— NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (@NASAGroundSys) October 28, 2022

Artemis I is the first integrated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. The uncrewed mission will send Orion beyond the Moon and back to Earth before future crewed missions. Artemis missions will pave the way for a long-term lunar presence and serve as a stepping stone to send astronauts to Mars.

In parallel, NASA is gearing up for future Artemis missions that will send astronauts to the Moon for the first time in 50 years. Engineers at Kennedy Space Center in Florida are outfitting the Orion crew and services modules for Artemis II, the first mission with astronauts that will carry astronauts around the Moon.