Amentum led a major milestone for NASA’s Artemis II mission with the successful rollout of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Complex 39B (LC-39B) at Kennedy Space Center. The rollout marks a key step in final preparations for the crewed Artemis launch. During the mission, the Orion crew capsule will carry four astronauts on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon and back. It will be propelled by the SLS, the most powerful and capable rocket NASA has ever built.

“The successful rollout and preparation of Artemis II is a clear reminder of the responsibility entrusted to our team,” said Mark Walter, president of Amentum’s Engineering & Technology business. “Amentum delivered the engineering expertise and operational discipline that made this milestone possible, ensuring Artemis II’s progress towards launch preparations and advancing our nation’s human space exploration mission.”

During rollout operations, Amentum engineers and technicians played a central role in operating the crawler-transporter, the massive transporter used to move the mobile launch platform with the fully stacked SLS and Orion from the VAB to LC-39B. The multi-hour journey required precise coordination, continuous systems monitoring, and close integration with multiple teams to safely transport NASA’s most powerful rocket.

Under NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) program, Amentum is providing engineering, technicians, and systems integration for Artemis II. Amentum is responsible for maintaining and modernizing ground equipment, integrating and testing launch vehicles, and supporting launch, recovery, and overall operations for Orion and the SLS.

The crawler-transporter is a cornerstone of NASA’s ground infrastructure, designed to carry the SLS and Orion over several miles, including up a slope to the pad surface, at a carefully controlled pace and with extreme precision. Amentum’s role in operating and sustaining the crawler reflects decades of experience in high-consequence ground operations and mission-critical systems at Kennedy Space Center.

Artemis II is scheduled to launch early this year. With the successful rollout, NASA and Amentum have moved to the next major phase of this critical mission, including pad integration activities, final checkouts, and launch readiness activities.

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