Brutkey

AkaSci 🛰🛰️
@AkaSci@fosstodon.org

The NASA Artemis II mission is targeted for launch as early as Feb. 6.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen will complete a 10-day journey around the Moon and back (no moon landing) to test systems and hardware, in preparation for future lunar landing missions.

It will be the first crewed mission to the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Launch vehicle: Space Launch System (SLS)
Spacecraft: Orion

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-invites-media-to-cover-artemis-mission-from-johnson-space-center/
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1. NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket is seen inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building as teams await the arrival of Artemis II crewmembers to board their Orion spacecraft on top of the rocket as part of the Artemis II countdown demonstration test, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA/Joel Kowsky https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/artemis-2/final-steps-underway-for-nasas-first-crewed-artemis-moon-mission/ 2. Diagram showing the trajectory and planned objectives of the Artemis II mission. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II
AkaSci 🛰🛰️
@AkaSci@fosstodon.org

NASA is targeting Sat. Jan 17 for the rollout of the Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for final integration, testing, and launch rehearsals.

The 4-mile journey to the launch pad at KSC using the crawler-transporter-2 will take ~12 hours. After system checks and tests, astronauts will conduct a final walkdown at the pad.

At the end of Jan, NASA will conduct a wet dress rehearsal, including fueling and unfueling of the rocket without astronauts onsite.

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/artemis-2/final-steps-underway-for-nasas-first-crewed-artemis-moon-mission/
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Pic of the rollout of the Artemis I Space Launch System rocket in Aug 2022. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
AkaSci 🛰🛰️
@AkaSci@fosstodon.org

Knock knock!

It is NASA’s crawler-transporter 2 arriving at the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC for a pick-up!

Tomorrow morning Jan. 17, at ~7 a.m. EST. it will transport NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft + Mobile Launcher to Launch Pad 39B in preparation for the Artemis II crewed mission around the Moon on ~6 Feb.

At about one mph, the four-mile journey will take 10-12 hours.

Livestream starts at 7 a.m. at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrVnsO_rdew

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/01/16/artemis-ii-moon-rocket-ready-for-big-move/
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Pic of the NASA’s crawler-transporter 2 near the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasakennedy/55041637063/in/album-72157700246421144/
AkaSci 🛰🛰️
@AkaSci@fosstodon.org

A pair of crawler-transporters (nicknamed “Hans” and “Franz”) were built in 1965 to move the massive Saturn V rocket from Kennedy’s VAB to Launch Complex 39. After the Moon landing and Skylab programs ended, the crawlers were used to transport the space shuttles.

CT-2 was upgraded for the Artemis program around 2012.
CT-1 was originally planned for commercial launch vehicles but its future remains uncertain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawler-transporter
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/exploration-ground-systems/the-crawlers/
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Crawler-transporter #2 beginning a road test on 21 December 2004 after replacement of the shoes on its caterpillar tracks. This replacement is part of the "Return to Flight" program, and Crawler #2 was used to transport Space Shuttle Discovery to the launch pad for the STS-114 mission. The Vehicle Assembly Building is just visible at upper right.
AkaSci 🛰🛰️
@AkaSci@fosstodon.org

Here are a few vital specs of the unique NASA crawler-transporter vehicles. No other vehicle comes close.

Each CT is larger than the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines.

The crawlers are designed to roll underneath the mobile launcher (ML) along with assembled rocket, pick it up, and steadily carry it 4.2 miles to Launch Pad 39B.

https://www3.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/combined_crawler-transporters_fact_sheet_final.pdf
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1. Diagram of the CT with location of its equipment inside it https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Space-shuttle-crawler-transporter-hydraulic-system-Faszera-Farquharson/bae260224505249acd5811800fa0d103ea96c8a2 2. Table of specs of the upgraded CT-2. Info source: https://www3.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/combined_crawler-transporters_fact_sheet_final.pdf 3. Pat Brown, a mechanical technician with Jacobs, performs engine maintenance on NASA's crawler-transporter 2 on March 26, 2019, in the crawler yard located in Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39 area Photographer:NASA/Kim Shiflett https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20190326-PH_KLS01_0055 https://images.nasa.gov/search?q=crawler&page=1&media=image,video,audio&yearStart=1920&yearEnd=2026