The original plan was to launch the Space Launch System (SLS) this Thursday, but earlier this week, NASA decided to accelerate that schedule and announced that it will start moving on August 16. Tonight, the SLS will begin its journey leaving the massive building where it has been carefully assembled and examined and headed for its launch site. It is about a four mile trip but can take about 11 hours to complete.
SLS is NASA’s next big rocket, designed to carry people and cargo to deep space destinations like the Moon. It is more powerful than the rockets that currently carry astronauts back and forth from the International Space Station, which circles the planet in low Earth orbit. The SLS has been in development for more than a decade, suffering multiple delays and facing a rapidly growing budget.
The rocket could make its big debut as early as August 29, the first opportunity to launch the Artemis I mission. Artemis I will see the SLS loft NASA’s Orion capsule into space and around the Moon on a trip that it will last between 39 and 42 days, depending on the time of launch. No humans will be on board during this mission, which is a test run for future planned missions to the Moon.
NASA says the SLS could begin rolling into the launch pad as early as 9:00 PM ET on Tuesday, August 16. Progress will be incredibly slow, but if you’re interested in watching, NASA will be streaming video of the launch on its Kennedy Space Center YouTube channel, and we’ll embed it here as well.
