Overview
- The 32‑story SLS rocket with Orion began its four‑mile move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad 39B on Saturday using crawler‑transporter 2.
- After pad arrival, engineers will spend about two weeks on hookups, power‑ups and interface checks before an early‑February wet dress rehearsal loading nearly 800,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants.
- NASA cites five February launch opportunities—Feb. 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11—with an actual target to be named only after a clean fueling test, and an ISS crew rotation under review for mid‑February could also influence the plan; March windows remain available.
- The roughly 10‑day flight will perform two Earth orbits before a translunar injection about 26 hours after liftoff, executing a free‑return flyby without attempting a lunar landing.
- The crew comprises Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and Orion is planned to splash down in the Pacific for recovery by the U.S. Navy.