Artemis II rollout may move to March 19 as teams make up time

Due to quicker-than-expected completion of close-out activities, the Artemis II rocket may roll out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B on Thursday, March 19. A final decision on the start time will be announced on Wednesday, March 18.

The move had originally been planned for March 19, but engineers found an electrical harness on the flight termination system of the core stage of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that required replacement. That work was expected to push the rollout to Friday, March 20, but teams have since made up some time and could begin the trek on March 19.

The journey to the launch pad will take up to 12 hours and will be streamed live. An update will be provided once a start time for the rollout is set.

A rollout on either day would still preserve the possibility of launching as early as Wednesday, April 1. Teams continue to monitor weather forecasts; the April window includes opportunities through Monday, April 6, as well as Thursday, April 30.

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