NASA is hours away from launching the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, with the four astronauts of Artemis II scheduled to lift off Wednesday evening, April 1, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
According to NPR, the launch window opens at 6:24 p.m. Eastern, when an Orion capsule perched atop NASA’s 322-foot Space Launch System rocket is expected to leave Launch Complex 39B. If successful, the 10-day mission will send humans farther from Earth than any crew has traveled since the Apollo era.
NASA plans to begin its livestream at 12:50 p.m. Eastern as attention builds around what could become one of the agency’s biggest moments in decades.
The Artemis II crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.
After reaching orbit, the astronauts will spend time testing the spacecraft’s critical systems before heading toward the Moon on a looping figure-eight trajectory that will carry them around the lunar far side and back to Earth.
The mission comes more than five decades after Apollo 17, the last time humans traveled to the Moon.
Before leaving the lunar surface in 1972, Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan delivered what became one of the defining quotes of the Apollo era: “We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” Artemis II is designed to make good on that promise.
NASA officials say conditions appear favorable despite concerns earlier this year that forced the agency to delay launch preparations. In February, the rocket was rolled back from the launch pad after engineers detected a helium flow issue that required additional testing and repairs.
Now, after weeks of final checks and crew quarantine, NASA says it is ready to move forward. Mark Burger, launch weather officer with the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron, said there is currently an 80% chance of favorable weather at liftoff.
At a final briefing, senior NASA test director Jeff Spaulding described the tension expected in the launch control room during the final countdown.
“That’s when it really starts to hit home that, you know, we really got a shot at making it today,” Spaulding said. “You can hear a pin drop in that firing room as you count from 10 down to T-zero.”
