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3h ago

NASA Targets Wednesday Evening for Artemis II Moon Flyby Launch

The 10-day crewed test will validate Orion and SLS to pave the way for future lunar landings.

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The Artemis II rocket on a launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at sunrise.
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People look at NASA's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, on Pad 39B ahead of the Artemis II mission launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Overview

  • NASA plans to start the roughly 49-hour countdown Monday afternoon ahead of a two-hour launch window that opens at 6:24 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
  • Launch meteorologists with the 45th Weather Squadron will apply strict rules on winds, clouds, and lightning, with forecasts currently about 80% favorable for liftoff.
  • Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian mission specialist Jeremy Hansen will fly a free-return loop around the far side of the Moon without a landing.
  • Engineers recently fixed a helium quick‑disconnect seal and earlier hydrogen leaks, and managers cleared final preparations as the crew remains in quarantine and stresses they will wait if the vehicle is not ready.
  • NASA will stream continuous coverage on NASA+, NASA TV, and YouTube, with key milestones including a lunar flyby around April 6 and a Pacific splashdown near San Diego on April 10.