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Artemis II prepares for launch from Kennedy Space Center

NASA's Artemis II targets a 6:24 p.m. launch today from Kennedy Space Center, sending four astronauts on a crewed moon flyby with an 80% probability of liftoff as the Space Launch System rocket begins fueling at 7:45 a.m.
As the first crewed flight, Artemis II will prove life support, operations, and high-speed return capabilities by carrying the Orion spacecraft around the Moon, building on the uncrewed Artemis I test that validated deep-space performance.
Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will travel 2000 miles further than Apollo, looping around the backside of the Moon with a closest approach of about 4000 miles.
Sending humanity back to the Moon marks the first such journey in over 50 years, representing the next step toward 'first steps back onto the Moon' as part of the broader Artemis program.
Future missions include Artemis III, a 10-day mission targeting the lunar South Pole, with goals including infrastructure delivery and progression toward a sustainable 'Artemis Base Camp' for long-term lunar operations.

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