NASA has pushed the rollout of the Artemis II rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center to no earlier than Friday, March 20. The move maintains the possibility of launching the mission on Wednesday, April 1, according to agency officials. The Artemis II rocket, which will carry four astronauts on a test flight around the Moon, was previously scheduled to roll out on March 19 but faced delays due to final closeout activities.
Engineers at Kennedy Space Center completed troubleshooting work on the rocket’s helium flow system over the weekend. The Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, paired with the Orion spacecraft, arrived at the Vehicle Assembly Building on February 25 to address issues with the interim cryogenic propulsion stage. Once those tasks are complete, the rocket will be transported to Launch Complex 39B for final preparations.
The rollout is a critical step in the mission timeline. The Artemis II flight will be the first crewed test of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, paving the way for future lunar landings. NASA’s crawler-transporter 2, which carries the rocket during the rollout, has been a key component of the process. The vehicle is designed to move the massive rocket safely across the Kennedy Space Center grounds.
The updated schedule reflects the complexity of preparing for a deep-space mission. While the March 20 date is a delay from the original plan, NASA officials emphasized that the team is on track to meet the April 1 launch target. The mission is part of the agency’s broader Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon by 2025 and establish a sustainable presence there.