Nasa readies its most powerful rocket for round-the-moon flight

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: The Guardian

Nasa is preparing to roll out its most powerful rocket yet before a mission to send astronauts around the moon and back again for the first time in more than 50 years.

The Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida as early as 6 February, taking its crew on a 685,000-mile round trip that will end about 10 days later with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

The flight will mark only the second test of Nasa’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the first with a crew onboard. The four astronauts will live and work in the Orion capsule, testing life support and communications systems and practising docking manoeuvres.
...
But first, the rollout. As early as Saturday morning, Nasa’s crawler-transporter 2, an enormous tracked vehicle, will start lugging the 5,000-tonne rocket and spacecraft from the vehicle assembly building to the launchpad. The four-mile journey can take up to 12 hours.



Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/17/nasa-readies-most-powerful-rocket-round-moon-flight

[byronius]

1. Pretty cool indeed.

More more more.

[Roy Rolling]

2. Amazing technology

You know, a real (alpha male) POTUS wouldn’t need a space suit and hair-messing helmet to ride to the moon and back on a rocket. Just saying in case someone wants to make history.

Perhaps he and Elon could book two first-class window seats?

[Bengus81]

4. No...they need to be the first men on the sun

[llmart]

3. I've had a front row seat to following this mission.

My son is a NASA software engineer. He's kept me updated on the intense simulations that have been taking place for months, working into the late hours to insure everything runs smoothly and safely. Watching the crawler head out to th launchpad is amazing!