Delayed Artemis II mission inches closer to liftoff as four astronauts prepare for first crewed lunar flight in decades.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
NASA has transported its Space Launch System rocket back to the launch pad in Florida after completing repairs, setting the stage for a potential early April liftoff for its Artemis II mission.
The 322-foot rocket began its overnight rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, traveling roughly four miles atop a crawler transporter historically used during the Apollo era. The journey was temporarily delayed by high winds but concluded by midday, approximately 11 hours after departure.
The move marks the second time this year the rocket has been rolled out as NASA works to resolve technical issues that previously delayed the mission. Engineers addressed hydrogen fuel leaks at the launch pad, while clogged helium lines required the rocket to be returned to the assembly building for further repairs in late February.
NASA is now targeting a launch as early as April 1, contingent on the success of those fixes and favorable conditions.
The Artemis II crew, consisting of three American astronauts and one Canadian, has already entered quarantine in Houston ahead of the planned mission. The flight will send the crew on a trajectory around the moon before returning directly to Earth, without attempting a landing.
The mission represents a significant milestone for NASA, marking the first time astronauts will travel to the vicinity of the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Artemis II is part of NASA’s broader Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface. Current plans call for a future mission to land astronauts on the moon by 2028.
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