NASA Artemis 2 is scheduled to take off today
NASA’s Artemis 2 mission is set to take off today (Wednesday, April 1), which will see a team of astronauts embark on the first crewed mission to the moon in over 50 years. It will be the first time humans have travelled to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The Artemis 2 lunar flyby is a 10-day expedition and is scheduled to launch no earlier than 6.24pm EDT today, 23.20 BST. There are four NASA astronauts on board including Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut, Jeremy Hansen.
The team arrived at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida earlier this week as the final checks on the Orion spacecraft were made in preparation for take-off. According to the BBC, the astronauts will not land on the moon, but plan to circle it, while travelling further from Earth than anyone has ever been before. They will do it all in a capsule the size of a minibus.
This mission paves the way for a lunar landing in the Artemis IV mission which is scheduled for 2028. NASA is also planning another crewed test mission set to take off in 2027.
How to watch NASA moon mission in UK
The BBC is streaming Artemis 2 on its website, as well as providing live updates.
NASA has also released multiple livestreams, including official coverage on YouTube.
What time is lift-off
The launch window for the mission opens at 18:24 EDT (23:24 BST) and lasts for two hours.
The UK is playing a part in the mission, with the Goonhilly Earth Station, near Helston, Cornwall, helping to track the capsule.
Speaking at a news conference at Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre, Nasa associate administrator Amit Kshatriya said: “As we enter the pre-launch phase, the teams are in a strong posture, and the mission remains on track.”
He added: “The vehicle is ready. The system is ready. The crew is ready.
“I have complete confidence in this team of the Nasa workforce. For everybody else, 53 years ago humanity left the Moon and did not return. Now we go back.”
Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said the countdown to launch started at 4.44pm local time on Monday.
She said: “It is an exciting time. It’s an exciting time for this team and our crew and really our nation and the world.
“All indications are right now we’re in excellent, excellent shape as we get into count.”
NASA chief flight director Emily Nelson said: “Our teams in mission control and our crew members have been spent the last two years dedicated to training for this particular mission, developing all of the products associated with this flight, and they are ready to go.
“The opportunity is immense for us to finally get the opportunity to send our crew farther than anyone’s gone before.”
The mission previously had to be postponed by two months due to hydrogen fuel leaks and clogged helium lines. The new Artemis programme aims for a two-person landing in 2028.
