NASA is getting ready for the Artemis 2 mission

NASA confirmed that the first manned mission to the moon in over 50 years is still on track to launch as early as February 6 by announcing plans to move the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, which will carry the Artemis 2 lunar mission, to the launch pad for pre-launch checks on January 17. This move will ensure technical and weather readiness.

The Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft will be transported by the agency's specialized transport vehicle from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to Launch Pad 39B, a 6.4-kilometer (4-mile) trip that may take up to 12 hours, according to the website "space."

Lori Leys, acting assistant administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Directorate, stated, "We are getting closer and closer to Artemis 2, and the transfer time is fast approaching." "Crew safety will remain our top priority every step of the way as we get closer to bringing humanity back to the moon, and we still have important steps ahead of us on the road to launch."

Four astronauts will go around the moon for 10 days and return to Earth as part of the Artemis 2 mission: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of NASA, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. Artemis 2 will be humanity's first lunar mission since Apollo 17 in December 1972, even if it won't land on the moon.

Additionally, following the Artemis 2 spacecraft's arrival at launch pad 39B, technicians will subject the rocket and capsule to a number of tests and inspections, the most crucial of which is the "final rehearsal" refueling test.