WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - NASA's Space Launch System rocket, carrying a four-member crew aboard Orion spacecraft, is set to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday for its historic journey around the Moon.
NASA's first crewed mission under the Artemis program, Artemis II will send U.S. astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon.
It will be the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft, and the first time astronauts travelling beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972, the last time humans have set foot on the Moon.
The U.S. space agency's main objectives of the lunar fly-by mission are to test the Orion spacecraft's life support systems for the first time with people on board, and lay the groundwork for future crewed lunar missions.
Artemis II is a flight test supporting subsequent Artemis missions, which are planned to return humans to the lunar surface in 2028 for the first time since the Apollo program.
The mission is expected to set several human spaceflight records. Glover would become the first person of color, Koch the first woman, Wiseman the oldest person to leave low Earth orbit, and Hansen the first non-U.S. citizen to travel beyond low Earth orbit and to the Moon's vicinity. At a distance of approximately 4,700 miles beyond the Moon and an atmospheric reentry speed of about 25,000 miles per hour, the mission would exceed previous crewed flight distance and re-entry speed.
As the Artemis II mission countdown moves steadily toward liftoff no earlier than 6:24 p.m. ET, launch teams at Kennedy Space Center continue completing a sequence of highly choreographed steps to ready the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.
The weather forecast for launch day shows an 80 percent chance of favorable weather conditions with primary concerns being cumulus clouds, ground winds, and solar weather, NASA said. NASA and weather officers with the U.S. Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45 will continue to monitor the weather leading up to liftoff.
Engineers began the day by finishing critical health checks on the rocket's four engines, confirming that sensors, connections, and diagnostics were all performing as expected. Their readiness marks an important milestone as cryogenic operations approach.
Meanwhile, the SLS upper stage - the interim cryogenic propulsion stage - having completed its earlier power-up and verification activities, was powered down into a safe, stable configuration.
Teams also brought the Orion spacecraft's flight batteries to full charge, ensuring dependable power for avionics, life support, and communications throughout launch and early flight. Soon after, engineers began charging the rocket's core stage flight batteries, which is another essential step to support sensors and control systems during launch and ascent.
As launch approaches, preparations increasingly focus on operations to support the crew. Engineers performed regulator leak checks on the astronauts' pressure suits inside Orion, verifying airtight seals and pressure control systems. These checks ensure the suits are ready to protect the crew in the unlikely event of cabin depressurization.
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