After months of meticulous preparation, NASA's 32-story-tall Space Launch System rocket, the most powerful operational booster in the world, was hauled to its seaside launch pad Saturday in Florida, setting the stage for a long-awaited flight next month to send four astronauts on a trip around the moon.

Nasa's mega rocket has been moved to the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, as the final preparations get underway for the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years.

The launch window for the Artemis II mission opens on February 6, with the rocket beginning its move towards the launchpad at the US space agency’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Saturday.