KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — A big piece of hardware critical for future missions to the moon and Mars was on the move — albeit slowly — Thursday morning at the Kennedy Space Center.
- Mobile launcher moving to Launch Pad 39B for testing
- SLS rocket with Orion spacecraft will be launched next year
- Testing to take place for 3 months at Kennedy Space Center
NASA crews were moving the "mobile launcher" to the the launch pad for some final testing. The piece of equipment is just that: a launch tower that is moveable.
It is heading to Launch Pad 39B, which was once used for space shuttle missions.
To get there, it hitched a ride on the crawler transporter, going a whopping 1 mph.
The next time we'll see the mobile launcher head to the launch pad, it will have NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on board for its first mission to the moon, set for next year.
NASA says the SLS will be the world’s most powerful rocket.
That first mission to the moon's orbit will be uncrewed, but if successful, it will lead to the return of astronauts on the lunar surface. The Trump administration hopes that will happen by 2024.
The mobile launcher provides connection lines that provide power, communication, fuel, and more to the rocket before it launches.
Testing will take three months before it returns to NASA's iconic Vehicle Assembly Building.
Earlier this week, NASA selected a contractor to build a second mobile launcher for $383 million.