MERRITT ISLAND, FLA. — NASA’s crawler-transporter 2 will carry the 11-million-pound stack, including the mobile launcher, at about 1 mph along the four-mile route from Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad.
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The journey, which can take up to 12 hours, will be streamed on NASA’s You Tube channel.
READ: NASA Finalizes Artemis II Rollout, Crew Begins Quarantine.
The time of rollout is subject to change if additional time is needed for technical preparations or weather accommodations. Engineers are targeting 8 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, March 19th, to start rolling the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center, in Florida.
READ: NASA Reassessing Artemis II Rollout as Ground Teams Make Up Time.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with C.S.A. (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will limit their exposure to others for the next week in Houston, before flying to Kennedy approximately five days before launch, to continue their quarantine from the astronaut crew quarters there.
Both activities are key milestones on the way to a launch as early as: Wednesday, April 1st.
The early April launch window includes opportunities through Monday, April 6th, as well as Thursday, April 30th.
Learn more about NASA’s Artemis campaign: HERE.
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