WASHINGTON, March 20, (V7N) — NASA on Thursday began moving its massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft back to the launch pad in Florida, completing repairs ahead of a planned crewed flyby of the Moon early next month.

Engineers initiated the rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. The slow, carefully controlled transfer — covering 6.5 kilometers to Launch Pad 39B — can take up to 12 hours.

Once in place, NASA will conduct final checks before the next launch window opens on April 1, with several additional opportunities in the following days. If all tests are successful, three American astronauts and one Canadian will embark on a roughly 10‑day mission to orbit the Moon — the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.

The mission, Artemis 2, is a key step toward returning humans to the lunar surface, a goal first set during President Donald Trump’s initial term. But the program has faced repeated delays.

Late last month, NASA detected a helium flow issue and rolled the 11‑million‑pound rocket stack back into the VAB for inspection and repairs, ruling out a March launch. The setback followed earlier technical problems, including a liquid hydrogen leak that cut short a wet dress rehearsal.

Despite the challenges, NASA says it is optimistic about an early‑April launch. Meanwhile, the Artemis 2 crew entered pre‑flight quarantine on Wednesday in Houston as they prepare for the historic journey.

END/TEC/RH/