CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's "mega Moon rocket" set to carry the first woman and person of color to the lunar surface come 2025 is ready to roll.
Before the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft can make the historic flight for astronauts to put boots down on the moon — for the first time since 1972 — it needs to make an uncrewed flight.
Cue the Artemis I mission.
Seeing the massive rocket, which stands taller than the Statue of Liberty, liftoff has been a long-awaited moment by space enthusiasts after the mission saw delays.
Now, the nation's top space agency is taking the next step of rolling the launching duo out of the Vehicle Assembly Building to Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B for a wet dress rehearsal and final testing.
"It's gonna be just a wonderful, wonderful sight when we see that amazing Artemis vehicle cross the threshold of the VAB and we see it outside of that building for the very first time. I think it's gonna really be breathtaking," Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director for NASA Exploration Ground Systems program, said.
The process is a slow and steady one. Once the towering rocket and spacecraft begin the four-mile trek to the launch pad, it could take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours to reach its final destination. Movement is expected to begin around 6 p.m. on March 17.
"The world is about to see @NASA’s Moon rocket roll to the launch pad for testing. #Artemis I will be a test flight for future crewed missions to the Moon," NASA tweeted.
The nation's top space agency will begin a live broadcast of the rollout at 5 p.m. ET on NASA TV.
"The first of the rolling out of the VAB, that's really an iconic moment for this vehicle and to be here for a new generation of a super heavy-lift exploration class vehicle — Thursday's going to be a day to remember," Tom Whitmeyer, NASA associate administrator for exploration systems development, said.
Leading up to rollout, teams said they were taking operations one step at a time to ensure a safe launch of the mission. That means NASA is now targeting liftoff opportunities for Artemis I in April or May.
The first test flight of the moon rocket has already seen several delays with February and March 2022 being previous "no earlier than" targets for the space agency.
Artemis I will be the first integrated test of NASA's deep space exploration systems.
"The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond," NASA wrote.
You can learn more about the Artemis I mission here.
