Artemis 1 moon rocket arrives at pad for Nov. 14 launch (photos)

NASA's massive moon mission is back at the pad for its departure from Earth.

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket topped with an Orion spacecraft rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida a little before midnight EDT (0400 GMT) on Friday (Nov. 4).

The slow-motion crawl to Launch Pad 39B concluded at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) and the stack is being integrated on to the pad, NASA officials tweeted Friday after the arrival.

Artemis 1 is scheduled for a Nov. 14 launch date to the moon after numerous attempts before. NASA officials said in a pre-rollout press conference Wednesday (Nov. 13) that they have overcome the glitches that plagued previous attempts.

Related: NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission: Live updates
More: NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission explained in photos 

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Fisheye view of Artemis 1 leaving shelter

The Artemis 1 stack departs the NASA Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building on Nov. 4, 2022.

Rocket in a door

Artemis 1's stack is framed by the doorway of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 4, 2022.

Artemis 1 has left the building

Artemis 1 emerges from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 4, 2022.

Something in the water

Reflections of the Artemis 1 stack (right) and NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (left) glow in the water at the Kennedy Space Center during rollout Nov. 4, 2022.

Shiny!

NASA's Artemis 1 stack glows in the dark during rollout at the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 4, 2022.

Moving towards the light

NASA's Artemis 1 stack is backdropped by artificial light glow during rollout at the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 4, 2022.

All along the watch towers

NASA's Artemis 1 stack approaches the launch towers of Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 4, 2022.

Bare bones

Scaffolding holding the Artemis 1 stack to its crawler is visible during rollout at the NASA Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 4, 2022.

Don't stop, it will soon be here

Launch pad lights illuminate the Artemis 1 stack as it rolls on to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 4, 2022.

Running up that hill

NASA's Artemis 1 stack gradually climbs on to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 4, 2022.

The long and winding road

Crushed gravel at NASA's Kennedy Space Center marks the roadway where Artemis 1 traveled on its way to the launch pad on Nov. 4, 2022. 

"If we weren't confident, we wouldn't roll out. If we weren't confident, we wouldn't start the countdown when we do so. We're confident moving forward," said Jim Free, associate administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C, at the press conference.

Artemis 1 has now concluded its fourth journey to the pad, after having made excursions in March and June for prelaunch fueling tests and a third one in mid-August to try to head to space. Various issues with past launches prevented it from making it to the moon, and the stack last returned to the VAB in late September to shelter from Hurricane Ian and for minor maintenance, repairs and tests.

Artemis 1 is the first mission in NASA's Artemis program, which plans to put humans permanently and sustainably on the moon by the late 2020s.

The mission will be the first flight for the SLS and the second for Orion, with Artemis 1 putting an uncrewed spacecraft around the moon and back. If all goes well, Artemis 2 will launch astronauts around the moon in 2024 or so, and Artemis 3 will send astronauts to the surface for a landing mission after another year or two.

Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.