Overview
- NASA started the two-day countdown Monday, clearing the way for a Wednesday 6:24 p.m. EDT liftoff from Kennedy Space Center with a two-hour window.
- Forecasters flag about a 20% chance that cumulus clouds could scrub the attempt, with daily backup opportunities running through April 6.
- Program leaders report the rocket, capsule, and ground systems are flight-ready after addressing hydrogen leaks, a helium flow issue, battery replacements, and heat-shield wear findings from earlier tests.
- The four-person crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen—will mark firsts for a woman, a non‑white NASA astronaut, and a Canadian at lunar distance.
- The roughly 10‑day test will send Orion on a far‑side ‘slingshot’ around the Moon without landing to validate the Space Launch System and capsule before later surface missions, ending with a Pacific splashdown.