NASA Moves Moon Rocket Back to Launch Pad

The four-person Artemis crew began its 14-day pre-mission quarantine a few hours prior to the rollout.

NASA’s moon rocket, the Artemis II Space Launch System, rolls out to its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, in the early morning hours of March 20, 2026. T.J. Muscaro/The Epoch Times

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Humanity’s first ride to the moon in more than 50 years inched its way back to the launch pad under the cover of night at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center early Friday, and carried with it NASA leadership’s official “Go” for liftoff as early as April 1.

That moon rocket, the Artemis II Space Launch System, began its nearly 12-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to its ultimate departure point, Launch Complex 39B, just after 12:20 a.m EDT on March 20.