NASA Reassessing Artemis II Rollout as Ground Teams Make Up Time
Image: Primary NASA may move the Artemis II rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B on Thursday March 19. The possibility stems from quicker than expected completion of close out activities. A final decision on the start time will come on Wednesday March 18.
The rollout had originally been scheduled for March 19. Engineers identified an electrical harness on the flight termination system of the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket that required replacement. They had expected to delay the move until Friday March 20 but recovered some schedule margin after the fix.
The trip to the pad will take up to 12 hours. NASA will provide a live stream of the transport. An update on the exact start time will follow once it is set.
A rollout on either March 19 or March 20 would still allow a launch as early as Wednesday April 1. April launch opportunities run through Monday April 6 and include Thursday April 30. Ground teams continue to monitor weather forecasts.
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