NASA set to launch its first crewed lunar mission since 1972

12:45

By: Dakir Madiha

NASA set to launch its first crewed lunar mission since 1972

Four astronauts are set to make history today as NASA prepares to launch Artemis II, the first crewed journey to the Moon in more than 50 years. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:24 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with weather forecasts showing an 80% favorable outlook for the two-hour launch window.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency, will lift off atop the Space Launch System rocket aboard their Orion spacecraft, which the crew has named "Integrity." The 10-day mission will send them on a loop around the Moon and back to Earth, marking the first time humans have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Artemis II will carry the first woman and the first person of color to fly toward the Moon, while Hansen will become the first non-American to make the journey. The crew will travel approximately 7,700 kilometers beyond the far side of the Moon, surpassing the distance reached by Apollo 8, and will hit an atmospheric reentry speed of around 40,000 kilometers per hour on their return.

The mission will also debut laser communications technology capable of transmitting 4K video from lunar distance at 260 megabits per second, giving viewers unprecedented clarity of deep-space imagery.

NASA is offering full live coverage from 12:50 p.m. EDT on its free streaming platform NASA+ and NASA TV. The launch will also be broadcast on YouTube and C-SPAN, with additional coverage planned on third-party platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple, and Hulu. The agency's Artemis Real-time Orbit Website will allow viewers to track Orion's position relative to Earth and the Moon throughout the mission.

The road to today's launch window has not been without setbacks. Earlier this year, fuel leaks and technical issues with the SLS rocket caused delays and a return from the launch pad, pushing back the initial April launch window. The crew entered quarantine on March 18 in Houston before flying to Kennedy Space Center on March 27 aboard T-38 training jets for final preparations. The official countdown began on March 30 at 4:44 p.m. EDT.

Should weather conditions or technical issues prevent a launch today, NASA has backup slots available through April 6, with an additional window opening on April 30.