NASA's powerful Moon rocket, the 98-meter-tall Space Launch System, has been moved to its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This marks the start of final checks and tests for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon in over 50 years. The rocket was carried slowly over nearly 6.5 km in about 12 hours, arriving at Launch Pad 39B on the evening of the same day. NASA plans a "wet dress rehearsal" next, to test fueling and countdown steps. The Artemis II crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They watched the rocket’s arrival with excitement. The mission will see the four astronauts orbit the Moon without landing, setting the stage for Artemis III, which aims for a lunar landing no earlier than 2027. Christina Koch said, "Astronauts are the calmest people on launch day. And I think... it feels that way because we're just so ready to fulfil the mission that we came here to do, that we've trained to do." Jeremy Hansen added, "The Moon is something that I've taken for granted... now I've been staring at it a lot more, and I think others will be joining us and staring at the Moon a lot more as there will be humans flying around the far side and that is just good for humanity." After launch, the crew will spend two days orbiting Earth before heading 40,000 miles out, about a fifth of the way to the Moon. They will then go around the Moon, spending three hours observing its far side to prepare for future landings. The Orion spacecraft’s European Service Module, built by Airbus in Germany, provides essential propulsion and life support. Sian Cleaver, a spacecraft engineer, stressed, "The European Service Module is so important - we basically can't get to the Moon without it." NASA emphasizes safety above all. John Honeycutt, Artemis mission manager, said, "I've got one job, and it's the safe return of Reid and Victor and Christina and Jeremy. We're going to fly when we're ready... crew safety is going to be our number one priority." The earliest possible launch date is 6 February, with other windows available through April. But despite past delays, NASA is dedicated to getting astronauts to the Moon safely and soon.