The countdown is underway for the Artemis II mission of the American space agency NASA, marking humanity’s first crewed journey towards the Moon in more than 53 years since the Apollo era.

 

The 32-storey Space Launch System rocket is scheduled to lift off tomorrow, carrying four astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

 

Following a day in Earth’s orbit, their Orion spacecraft will be propelled toward the Moon by the Space Launch System rocket. The mission will involve a flyby of the Moon, executing a quick loop around it before returning to Earth, with no landing planned.

 

The nearly 10-day journey will conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The mission is designed to test critical systems ahead of future crewed lunar landings.

 

Unlike the Apollo missions between 1968 and 1972, which sent only men to the Moon, the Artemis II crew reflects greater diversity, including a woman, a person of colour, and a non-American astronaut.

 

The Artemis programme is part of a broader strategy to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, seen as vital for maintaining U.S. leadership in space exploration amid growing competition, particularly from China.

 

NASA has a launch window extending through the first six days of April. If missed, the next opportunity will come later in the month.