CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is experiencing smooth preparations Tuesday as the space agency gets ready to send astronauts on their first lunar journey in more than 50 years, following several weeks of technical setbacks including fuel leaks and other complications.
Space agency officials confirmed that the massive moon rocket is performing well at the launch pad, while meteorologists are predicting favorable launch conditions with an 80% chance of good weather.
“Everybody’s pretty excited and understands the significance of this launch,” said senior test director Jeff Spaulding.
The Artemis II mission will carry four crew members who are set to become the first people to visit the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The astronauts will travel around the moon in a flyby mission without attempting to land or enter lunar orbit before returning directly to Earth.
This represents NASA’s closest approach to actually launching the Artemis II mission. Technical problems including hydrogen fuel leaks initially delayed the flight from February to March, and subsequent issues with blocked helium lines pushed the launch window to April. NASA only has a limited number of days each month when conditions align properly for sending the crew of three Americans and one Canadian on their lunar journey.
With launch teams expressing confidence that these technical challenges have been resolved, they are preparing to start loading fuel into the towering 32-story Space Launch System rocket Wednesday morning ahead of an evening departure.
