Watch Live: NASA rolls out Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft for Artemis 2 prelaunch work

The crew of NASA's Artemis 2 mission will be on hand to watch as the agency rolls their Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad at Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The 322-foot-tall rocket will slowly move atop the crawler-transporter 2 from Vehicle Assembly Building out to the pad four miles away. The journey is expected to take anywhere from eight to ten hours and possibly up to 12 hours to complete the move.

Once at the pad, the rocket and mobile launcher will hook into the pad systems and begin a series of checkouts in the radio frequency environment of launch. There will also be a wet dress rehearsal tanking test on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the opening of the first launch window on Feb. 6, 2026.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will take the Orion spacecraft, "Integrity," out for a 10-day test flight around the Moon and back to validate a suite of systems.

Live commentary with Spaceflight Now Reporter Will Robinson-Smith begins at 6:30 a.m. EST (1130 UTC), about half an hour before first motion at 7 a.m. EST (1200 UTC). We're joined by Stephen Clark, space reporter for Ars Technica.

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