--- title: "NASA Rocket for First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Arrives at Launch Site" description: "The rocket designed to carry the first humans to the Moon in over half a century has officially made its way to NASA's Kennedy Space Center." date: "2024-07-26" modified: "2024-07-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-rocket-crewed-moon-mission-launch-site" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "artemis" - "moon" - "NASA" - "Space Launch System" - "the digest" --- # NASA Rocket for First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Arrives at Launch Site ![The rocket designed to carry the first humans to the Moon in over half a century has officially made its way to NASA's Kennedy Space Center.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Baby Steps The rocket designed to carry the first humans to the Moon in over half a century has officially made its way to NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), just over a year ahead of its tentative launch date. The 212-foot rocket stage made its way from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to Cape Canaveral on board a barge. It then was carted to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), where it will later be mated to the Space Launch System (SLS). Once fully assembled, it will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39B just over four miles away, where its predecessor [launched in November 2022](). "Our team has been chomping at the bit trying to get flight hardware back to KSC," one of the center's managers Sean Arrieta said during a live stream, as [quoted by *Space.com*](). "When we get in the VAB, we'll go ahead and set that \[core stage\] down on some skid beams, where it'll remain for four to five weeks for some pre-processing, and then we'll get ready for its next steps in operations." It's an exciting next step in NASA's efforts to return the first astronauts to the Moon. While next year's Artemis 2 mission will see a crew of four only fly *around* the Moon and back, it sets the stage for Artemis 3, the first landing on the Moon in over half a century, which is tentatively scheduled for just over two years from now. ## Mooner Than Later The core stage of NASA's SLS rocket includes four Space Shuttle-era RS-25 engines. Before launch, it will be joined with two solid rocket boosters, producing a combined 8.8 million pounds of thrust. NASA's Orion crew vehicle at the top will house NASA astronaut Victor Glover, who's slated to become the first Black person to leave Earth's orbit, commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. NASA has already successfully sent an uncrewed test flight around the Moon and back — the most powerful rocket to make it into orbit [at the time]() — meaning the space agency will have far fewer unknowns to deal with this time around. However, the agency's Office of Inspector General is [still concerned]() that unexpected damage to Orion's heat shield during reentry the last time around still poses a "significant risk" for the upcoming crewed mission. "The delivery of the SLS core stage for Artemis II to Kennedy Space Center signals a shift from manufacturing to launch readiness as teams continue to make progress on hardware for all major elements for future SLS rockets," said SLS program manager John Honeycutt in a [statement](). "We are motivated by the success of Artemis I and focused on working toward the first crewed flight under Artemis," he added. **More on Artemis:** *[NASA Astronauts Run Into Cow While Practicing for Lunar Landing]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()