Nasa rolls Artemis rocket out again for April launch, first human Moon mission in 50 years

Nasa has moved its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft back to the launch pad for a second time, preparing for a fresh attempt to send astronauts around the Moon after more than 50 years, according to a report by BBC. 

The 98 metre tall rocket travelled four miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The move comes after a problem in the helium system forced Nasa to cancel a launch attempt in March and take the rocket back indoors for repairs.

Second rollout after March issue

During a fuelling test in March, engineers detected an interruption in the flow of helium to the upper stage. Helium is used to pressurise propellant tanks, and any fault could affect engine performance or the safe draining of fuel.

Instead of continuing, Nasa decided to return the rocket to the VAB so engineers could fully access the system. Inside the building, teams replaced faulty parts, changed batteries in key systems and carried out fresh tests before clearing the rocket for rollout again.

Slow overnight journey and final tests

The rollout began at 00:20 local time (04:20 GMT), when the rocket emerged from the VAB, one of the largest buildings in the world.

The rocket and its launch platform, weighing about 5,000 tonnes, were carried by Crawler Transporter 2. This vehicle, built in 1965, was also used to move Saturn V rockets.

It moves at a top speed of about 1mph (1.6 km/h), and even slower on turns and slopes. The full journey can take up to 12 hours.

The slow movement is planned to reduce stress on the rocket and to allow engineers to monitor any unusual movement during the trip.

Now at the launch pad, engineers will spend several days checking if the repairs have worked properly.

They will reconnect the launch tower, test the helium system again and run parts of the countdown process using real systems, but without filling the rocket with fuel.

After these checks, Nasa’s mission team will meet a few days before the launch window to review all data and decide whether to go ahead.

Artemis II crew and mission timeline

The Artemis II mission will carry four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.

They have already entered pre flight quarantine and will travel to Florida closer to launch for final rehearsals and the mission is planned as a ten day flight that will go around the far side of the Moon and return to Earth.

Nasa is targeting 18:24 Eastern Daylight Time on April 1 for the first launch attempt. Backup dates are April 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. If these are missed, another opportunity is available on April 30.

If the mission goes ahead, Artemis II will be the first crewed flight in the Artemis programme.

It will be followed by Artemis III in 2027 and Artemis IV in 2028, which aims to land astronauts on the Moon again.