NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher as it reaches Launch Pad 39B on Friday, November 4, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I objective is the very first incorporated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for November 14 at 12:07 a.m. EST. Credit:( NASA/Joel Kowsky).
Around 8:30 a.m. EDT (5:30 a.m. PDT) on November 4, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I objective came to launch pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida after an almost nine-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Teams will continue working to set up SLS and Orion for the upcoming November 14 launch attempt.
The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I flight test are rolling to release pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of launch. Credit: NASA.
The journey began at around 11:17 p.m. EDT on November 3 as the crawler-transporter began the roughly 4-mile journey from the VAB to the launch pad. Once outside the VAB high-bay doors, the Moon rocket made a planned time out allowing the team to reposition the crew access arm on the mobile launcher before continuing to the launch pad.
NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, standing atop the mobile launcher, come to Launch Pad 39B at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 4, 2022, ahead of the uncrewed Artemis I release. Credit: NASA/Isaac Watson.
Artemis I launch is presently targeted for November 14 at the opening of a 69-minute launch window starting at 12:07 a.m. EST. Artemis I will be the first incorporated test of NASAs SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly evaluate the incorporated systems prior to crewed missions by releasing Orion atop the SLS rocket, running the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat guard, and recuperating the crew module after descent, reentry, and splashdown.