NASA prepares a massive Moon rocket for its inaugural mission, Artemis

In order to get it ready for its first launch, the American space agency Nasa is rolling out its enormous new Moon rocket. The Space Launch System (SLS), a rocket that will launch on August 29th, is being transported to Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Future missions will transport people back to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years. The initial launch is a test with no crew aboard. The over 100m (328ft) tall SLS is transported to the pad on a massive tractor.

It began moving late on Tuesday night local time from its assembly building in Kennedy, but at a cruising speed of just over 1 km/h (under 1 mph), it might take 8 to 10 hours to go the 6.7 km (4.2 miles). This is a crucial time for NASA, which will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 17, the very last mission to land a person on the moon, in December.

NASA envisions a trip back to the Moon as a method to get ready for an astronaut mission to Mars in the 2030s or shortly thereafter. The SLS will launch with 15% greater thrust than the Saturn V rockets used by Apollo. This added power will let the craft to carry so much gear and astronauts so far beyond Earth.

The crew capsule has improved capabilities as well. Known as Orion, it is significantly larger than the iconic command modules from the 1960s and 1970s, measuring 5m (16.5ft) wide. Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA, remarked, "To all of us who gaze up at the Moon, dreaming of the day humans returns to the lunar surface — folks, we're here! We're coming back, and that journey, our journey, begins with Artemis 1."

According to him, Artemis 2, the first crewed launch, will take place in 2024, and Artemis 3, the first landing, is anticipated to occur in 2025. According to a promise made by NASA, the third mission will see the first woman set foot on the Moon's surface.