NASA moved Artemis 2 rocket

Washington (dpa) — About two weeks ahead of the next possible launch window, NASA said on Friday that it has moved the rocket system for its delayed Artemis 2 lunar mission back to the launch pad.

Mounted on a specialized transport vehicle, the roughly 100-metre-tall system, comprising the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion capsule, was rolled from the assembly building to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, NASA said.

The roughly 6-kilometre journey took about 11 hours.

The mission, which aims to send humans near the Moon for the first time in more than half a century, is currently scheduled for launch on April 1, with additional launch opportunities available through April 6.

The Artemis 2 mission is expected to last around 10 days and will carry four astronauts around the Moon.

The crew includes US astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, as well as their Canadian colleague Jeremy Hansen, fly around the Moon.

US astronauts last set foot on the Moon in 1972.

NASA had originally planned to launch Artemis 2 in early February, later postponing it to March.

However, a series of technical issues emerged during testing, including problems with the helium supply, prompting the rocket system to be temporarily returned to the assembly building.