In a meticulously choreographed ballet of engineering, NASA’s colossal Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has completed its monumental journey to Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center. Captured in a mesmerizing timelapse, the 12-hour transit unveiled the sheer scale of pre-launch operations for the Artemis I mission.
The 322-foot-tall (98-meter) deep-space rocket, mounted atop NASA’s robust Crawler-Transporter 2, embarked on a 4.2-mile (6.8-kilometer) voyage from the Vehicle Assembly Building. Progressing at a deliberate maximum speed of just 0.82 miles per hour (1.3 km/h), the procession emphasized the careful precision required to move the 3.5-million-pound structure without compromising its delicate systems.
This journey, known as the ‘rollout,’ represents a critical milestone in NASA’s preparations for returning humans to the lunar surface. The SLS rocket—the most powerful ever built by the agency—will serve as the cornerstone for the Artemis program, which aims to establish sustainable lunar exploration while paving the way for future Mars missions.
The timelapse footage compresses hours of painstaking progress into minutes, showcasing how engineering marvels overcome terrestrial challenges before ever reaching the stars. With the rocket now positioned at the launch pad, teams will conduct final tests and rehearsals leading to the historic uncrewed flight around the Moon.