Dubai, UAE — NASA has begun its final countdown for the Artemis II mission, its first crewed journey to the Moon in more than 50 years, marking a major milestone in its plans to return humans to deep space.
The two-day countdown started on Monday ahead of a targeted Wednesday evening launch from Kennedy Space Center, where the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are poised for liftoff.
If successful, Artemis II will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby, testing critical systems needed for future missions that aim to land humans on the Moon and eventually establish a sustained presence there.
“The vehicle is ready, the system is ready. The crew is ready,” a senior NASA official said during a briefing, signalling confidence as final preparations continue.
The launch window is set to open at 6:24 p.m. local time (2224 GMT) on April 1, with additional opportunities available through April 6 if conditions delay liftoff.
The mission will include NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who represents Canadian Space Agency. The diverse crew will mark several firsts for a lunar mission, including the first woman, the first person of colour, and the first non-American to travel around the Moon.
Artemis II will be the first crewed flight of the SLS rocket, a cornerstone of NASA’s Artemis programme designed to enable repeated missions beyond low-Earth orbit. The spacecraft will not land on the Moon but instead loop around it before returning to Earth, validating performance and safety systems.
The mission has faced delays, having initially been scheduled for earlier dates, as engineers addressed technical issues and conducted additional testing. The rocket was at one point rolled back for further analysis before being returned to the launch pad.
Weather remains a key variable. NASA said there is currently an 80 percent chance of favourable conditions, though teams are monitoring cloud cover and potential ground-level winds, as well as solar weather that could affect the mission.
The astronauts are in quarantine ahead of launch, a standard precaution to minimise health risks before flight, though NASA officials said they would have a brief opportunity to spend time with their families before departure.
Artemis II is seen as a crucial step in a broader strategy that includes building a lunar base and using it as a platform for future missions to Mars. NASA has also been accelerating partnerships and infrastructure development to support long-term exploration.
Despite a complex global backdrop and increasing competition in space exploration, the agency said it would proceed only when all systems are fully ready.
“We’ll fly when this hardware is ready,” the launch director said, adding that current indicators suggest the mission is in strong shape for liftoff.