Artemis I Rollout for Launch

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with the Orion spacecraft atop, slowly makes its way along the crawlerway at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 4, 2022. Carried by the crawler-transporter 2, NASA’s Moon rocket is venturing the 4.2 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for the Artemis I launch, scheduled for Monday, Nov. 14. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of NASA’s SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by launching Orion atop the SLS rocket, operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown. During the flight, Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any human-rated spacecraft has ever flown, paving the way for human deep space exploration and demonstrating our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond.