The new Artemis Moon rocket from NASA approaches its launch pad

 The massive Space Launch System from NASA is about to lift off. This rocket might one day return mankind to the Moon.

In a procedure that will take many hours, the space agency is rolling out the massive rocket and an astronaut capsule without personnel that will be tested during the launch.

Before the debut that is planned for later this month, the voyage started on Tuesday night.

On August 29, the 322-foot-tall (98-meter) rocket is slated to launch on its maiden journey into orbit. For NASA's Artemis program, the United States multibillion-dollar endeavor to send people back to the moon's surface so they may train for future trips to Mars, it will be a crucial, protracted demonstration mission to the moon.

Around 10 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT) on Tuesday, the Space Launch System, whose development over the past ten years has been spearheaded by Boeing, left its assembly facility at NASA's Kennedy Space and began the six-kilometer (four-mile) trek to its launchpad from the Florida Center.

Space Launch System, the abbreviation for NASA's new moon rocket, is 41 feet (12 meters) shorter than the Saturn V rockets used during the Apollo missions 50 years ago. However, it is more potent thanks to its core stage and twin strap-on boosters, which are identical to those employed by space shuttles.

"The rocket almost has a vintage appearance when you look at it. We appear to be looking back at the Saturn V "Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, stated last month. But it's a brand-new, more sophisticated, and more advanced rocket and ship.

The Apollo program sent 24 men to the moon, with 12 of them making lunar landings between 1969 and 1972. The space agency wants Artemis, who is named after Apollo's mythical twin sister, to lead a more diverse team and more persistent effort.

Moon rocket from NASA positioned to launch pad for an initial test flight

The rocket had made three trips to the launch pad. Fuel leaks and other technical issues during a countdown test in April led NASA to send the rocket back to the hangar for repairs. In June, the pad had a dress rehearsal again, with better outcomes.

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The Orion is being moved, which might take up to 11 hours, and it began from the KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building. At a speed of around 1.6 to 3.2 km/h, the crawler delivering the Artemis 1 components must reach Launch Pad 39B. (1.2 to 2 mph).

No sooner than August 29, the unmanned mission's blastoff will maneuver the Orion spacecraft around the moon to test its systems in preparation for future human flights. There will be multiple webcasts of the mission's scientific and other technological developments in between.

NASA aims to launch the crewed Artemis 2 mission to circle the moon in 2024, followed by the Artemis 3 landing mission in 2025.