NASA Sets Coverage for First Rollout of Space Launch System
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) — NASA will hold a media teleconference on Monday, March 14 to discuss the upcoming debut of the agency’s Mega Moon rocket and integrated spacecraft for the uncrewed Artemis I lunar mission.
Roll out of the integrated Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is slated for Thursday, March 17.
The media call will begin at 5:30 p.m. EDT after completion of a test readiness review, which will determine if the agency is ready to move forward with mission activities. The call will air live on the agency’s website.
Teleconference participants include:
- Tom Whitmeyer, associate administrator for exploration systems development, NASA Headquarters in Washington
- Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters
- Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director, NASA Exploration Ground Systems program, Kennedy
- John Honeycutt, manager, Space Launch System program, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama
- Howard Hu, manager, Orion program, Johnson Space Center in Houston
Live coverage for rollout begins at 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 17 and will include live remarks from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other guests. Coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
At the pad, NASA will conduct a final prelaunch test known as wet dress rehearsal, which includes loading the SLS propellant tanks and conducting a launch countdown.
The rollout involves a 4-mile journey between the Vehicle Assembly Building and the launch pad, expected to take between six and 12 hours. Live, static camera views of the debut and arrival at the pad will be available starting at 4 p.m. EDT on the Kennedy Newsroom YouTube channel.
Credentialing deadlines for in-person activities have closed.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
For updates, follow along on NASA’s Artemis blog at:
7 responses to “NASA Sets Coverage for First Rollout of Space Launch System”
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Imagine this event happening in 2015, on budget. We would have been excited and hanging on every detail. It’s still something I’ll follow, but there’s been so much wasted time and money. The thrill is gone.
Yeah it’s like meeting that super hot cheerleader a decade later after several years of poor life choices. Or the high school superstar jock that now looks like a sumo wrestler that’s gone to fat.
God bless America! Here we go…back to the Moon!
While the fanboys weep and cry bitter tears I will be cheering!
GO SLS!!
Well, out toward the Moon anyway.
Maybe. Depends a lot on when the RUD occurs during launch the attempt.
We probably won’t get that lucky, but if a RUD occurs, my money would be on it happening either while the SRBs are firing or at some other point while the core stage is still firing. Those are the iffiest parts. The upper stage is basically a Delta IV Centaur in a skirt. That stage has been entirely reliable.
I’m not seriously predicting an RUD. I do predict that it will be a minimum of three years between the first launch attempt and the second successful flight. It is possible that they consider the first launch to be operational rather than a test and that anomalies will arise that take time to address. Especially in the absence of preparation for dealing with the anomalies.