CAPE CANAVERAL — The countdown is under way at Kennedy Space Center for the liftoff of Artemis II, which will send four astronauts around the moon and back in the first manned lunar mission since 1972.
After a mission management team meeting on Monday, NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya said Artemis II is ready for launch on Wednesday.
At 6:24 pm EDT (22:24 GMT) on Wednesday, a two-hour window will open for the Artemis II mission to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The launch window will remain open until April 6 for two hours each day after sunset. The mission can launch only when the moon, orbital paths, weather and Earth’s rotation line up safely.
Artemis II has faced two major delays that pushed it from its original early 2026 launch window.
In early February, the first attempt was scrubbed after a liquid hydrogen leak was detected during a practice countdown.
A second launch attempt in early March was cancelled when engineers discovered a helium flow issue in the rocket’s upper stage.
Launch teams completed final preparations, including critical checks on the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and onboard systems. Non-essential personnel were cleared from the launch pad ahead of fueling operations, which began earlier in the day. Coverage started at 7:45 am EDT (11:45 GMT), with full launch coverage from 12:50 pm EDT (16:50 GMT) across multiple platforms.
Artemis II will carry astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon before returning to Earth.
Although the crew will not land on the lunar surface, the mission will allow new observations of parts of the Moon not previously seen by humans, providing data that could help identify potential landing sites for future missions.
The astronauts will test onboard systems, conduct scientific observations, and document the Moon from a greater distance than previous human missions, while collaborating with scientists on Earth.
This will be the first time humans will get to the Moon’s neighbourhood after the last Apollo mission in 1972. The Artemis II mission will return to Earth after a 10-day journey. A successor mission, planned for 2028, is scheduled to make a Moon landing with another set of four astronauts.
Artemis III will contribute to NASA’s long-term goal of establishing a sustained human presence on and around the Moon as a stepping stone for future missions to Mars. — Agencies
Source: Saudi Gazette