SLS rolls out to LC-39B ahead of Artemis 1 rehearsal

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was moved from the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) to LC-39B on Thursday evening, March 17 using the crawler transporter.

SLS is over 100 meters tall and is powered by four RS-25 engines developed for the Space Shuttle and a pair of solid rocket boosters, providing SLS with 39.1 Meganewtons of maximum thrust, 15 percent more thrust than the Saturn V rocket.

Currently, the start of the Wet Dress Rehearsal campaign is scheduled for April 3. The core stage and the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage will be fully fueled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen and the vehicle will enter a near-full countdown. SLS will then return back to VAB for final testing and preparations prior to launch.

Photo by NASA