And that is certainly not an easy job: the 100 meter high colossus has to bridge a distance of 6.5 kilometers.

In a few years, the time has come: NASA wants to bring the first woman and the next man to the moon. Recently, another important step has been taken towards that goal. Because NASA’s new launch vehicle – the Space Launch System – carrying the brand new Orion space capsule has embarked on their very first journey to the launch complex. They will then be launched in a few weeks for an unmanned test flight to our natural satellite.

More about SLS
As mentioned, the SLS_rocket is the brand new launch system from NASA and also the largest launcher ever developed. The monster rocket has the potential to send astronauts further into space than ever before and enables manned missions to the moon, as well as asteroids and Mars. The intention is that astronauts will be launched during the Artemis mission aboard the Orion spacecraft and using SLS.




The massive launch vehicle has recently been hiding in the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket was first assembled there last year, after which spacecraft Orion could also be placed on top of the launcher in October. But now it’s time to take the promising pair to the launch pad. A huge undertaking.

Move

Moving to the launch pad is anything but a breeze. This is mainly due to the fact that the launcher and Orion together form an almost 100 meters high colossus. The distance to the launch pad is approximately 6.5 kilometers. That may not seem like much, but for such a big and heavy thing that’s quite a ride. The pair are moved on the so-called Crawler Transporter-2; a kind of mobile platform.

About Orion
After NASA retired the space shuttle after years of loyal service in 2011, the American space agency had no spacecraft at its disposal for a while. We had to wait for the new showpiece of the Americans. And that’s Orion. NASA ushers in a new era in space travel with Orion. No trips to the ISS, but manned space trips to Mars, asteroids and perhaps other planets as well. In short, Orion was developed for great things: missions deep into our solar system. It is a real reconnaissance vessel with which we will hopefully take the well-known final frontier quite a bit further. The first stop, however, will be the moon, where Orion will deliver astronauts for the first time since the Apollo missions.

Rolling out SLS and Orion to the launch pad is an important step towards the planned trial flight to the moon. Although there will first be a so-called wet dress rehearsal take place. This is the last dress rehearsal before departure. During this very last test, the fuel tanks of the launch vehicle are filled, after which all actions that must take place prior to a real launch are completed. There will even be an enthusiastic countdown. Launched during such a wet dress rehearsal not yet. If this dress rehearsal goes smoothly, Space Launch System and the Orion mounted on it will make its real test flight sometime in May.

Artemis-I

Known as Artemis-I, this planned trial flight kicks off the highly anticipated Artemis program, which focuses on human return to the moon. During the Artemis-I mission, the unmanned Orion capsule and the Space Launch System rocket will be put into orbit around the moon to properly test the system. Following this planned unmanned flight, a manned test flight will follow to our natural satellite – known as Artemis 2 – during which a four-person crew will circle the moon. And then the real work follows: the first moon landing in more than fifty years.

But we’re not that far yet. First, the SLS rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft must be moved unscathed to the launch complex 39B. In total, the move will take about 11 hours. But after that, the countdown to the actual test flight launch can begin.