Watch NASA’s SLS Moon rocket roll to the launchpad for Artemis 1

Today, NASA’s latest Moon rocket, SLS, will be rolling to the launchpad. After the sun sets, the crawler will begin to carry the rocket over out to LC-39B, and the rocket is scheduled to launch for the Artemis I on the morning of August 29 for an uncrewed flight around the Moon.

Watch the SLS rocket rollout to LC-39B

The SLS rocket is on top of the crawler and will begin to roll out of the vehicle assembly building at 9 p.m. on August 16 – two days earlier than previously planned. While many in the Titusville and Cocoa beach area will be able to see the vehicle exiting the VAB, there is no up-close public viewing location. Those interested in watching the rollout can follow along via NASA’s livestream of the rollout, which will begin around 3 p.m. EDT – though first motion is not expected until 9 p.m. EDT The stream can be watched on the KSC Newsroom YouTube channel and will be embedded below.

Additionally, Space Explored photographers Derek Wise and Jared Locke will be on site capturing the Moon rocket’s journey to the launch pad.

Once SLS arrives at the pad, there will be almost two weeks until launch, so those hoping to get an up-close view of the rocket can see the rocket from less than two miles away on Playalinda beach. There are also some organized boat tours that could provide a view of the rocket.

Artemis – The twin sister of Apollo

Much as the Apollo program first brought men to the surface of the Moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Artemis program will carry the first woman and first person of color to the surface of the Moon in the mid-2020’s. While this first mission is simply an uncrewed test flight, it makes way for the crewed missions of Artemis II and Artemis III. Artemis III, currently scheduled for 2025, will feature the first crewed landing of the program, with SpaceX’s Starship acting as the lunar lander.