NASA’s new moon rocket heads to the pad ahead of astronaut launch as early as February
January 17, 2026
NASA’s giant new moon rocket is on its way to the launch pad. The 322-foot Space Launch System rocket began its 1 mph creep from Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Saturday morning. It will take until nightfall to reach the pad from which it will blast off for the moon with four astronauts as early as February. Scores of space center workers and their families gathered in the predawn Florida chill to witness the long-awaited event, delayed for years. Leading the cheering crowd were NASA’s new administrator and all four astronauts who will fly to the moon.