Earlier today, NASA’s Artemis II rocket once again began lifting out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US, and has now reached its launch pad ahead of the first crewed flight to the Moon in more than 50 years.
Riding atop their mobile launcher, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft traveled slowly but surely in a crawl, covering a distance of 6.5 km in about 12 hours, with teams monitoring every step.
This is the rocket’s second visit to the pad – it first visited in January. From then on, teams practiced key launch operations, including fueling the rocket and walking up to the final countdown to liftoff. A wet dress rehearsal was successfully completed in February, with the rocket fully loaded with its cryogenic propellant.
However, after this test, engineers identified a problem in the rocket upper stage helium system, which was used to pressurize the propellant tanks. The rocket was later taken back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for inspection and repair. Crew safety remains the top priority, with teams working carefully to ensure all systems perform as expected prior to launch.
In recent weeks, teams have resolved the problem, conducted additional testing, and replaced batteries in key systems. In mid-March, after a review of flight readiness with program partners, including ESA, NASA confirmed that all teams had voted ‘Go’ for launch in early April.
The mission is targeting the following launch opportunities (CEST):
- April 2 – 00:24 (1 April 18:24 local time)
- April 3 – 01:22 (2 April 19:22 local time)
- 4th April – 02:00 PM (3 April 20:00 local time)
- April 5 – 02:53 (4 April 20:53 local time)
- April 6 – 03:40 (5 April 21:40 local time)
- April 7 – 04:36 (6 April 22:36 local time)
Powering Orion on this historic journey is ESA’s second European Service Module. This vital part of the spacecraft will power and propel Orion into deep space, provide air and water for the four astronauts and regulate the temperature inside. Built by more than 20 companies in 10 ESA member states, led by prime contractor Airbus, the module reflects almost a decade of work.
Europe’s contribution continues throughout the mission, where the engineers who know the module best will provide round-the-clock support from ESA centers in the Netherlands and Germany, as well as from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
