NASA to roll SLS and Orion to pad as Artemis II final pad work begins

NASA will roll its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the agency begins final integration, testing and launch rehearsals for the Artemis II crewed test flight. NASA is targeting no earlier than Saturday, Jan.

17, to begin the multi‑hour move. The integrated stack will travel about four miles on crawler‑transporter‑2, a journey that could take up to 12 hours. Teams are working around the clock to close out tasks before rollout, but NASA said the target date is subject to change if additional time is needed for technical preparations or weather.

“We are moving closer to Artemis II, with rollout just around the corner,” said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. Engineers have been troubleshooting several items. Technicians found a bent cable involved in the flight termination system and are replacing it; the new cable will be tested over the weekend.

A valve associated with Orion’s hatch pressurization was replaced and successfully tested on Jan. 5 after exhibiting issues during a Dec. 20 countdown demonstration. Engineers also worked to resolve leaky ground support hardware used to load gaseous oxygen into Orion for breathing air.

Key Topics

Science, Artemis Ii, Kennedy Space Center, Space Launch System, Orion Spacecraft