NASA Starts Countdown for Artemis 2 Moon Mission, 2 Days Before Planned Launch
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (AP) — NASA began the official countdown for its Artemis 2 moon mission Thursday at 4:44 p.m. EDT, officials said. The launch is targeted for April 1 at 6:24 p.m. EDT from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center. The mission will send four astronauts on a lunar flyby, the first with humans since 1972.
The countdown followed final checks confirming readiness, NASA said. Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said preparations proceeded smoothly, with minor ground equipment issues resolved. The mission will test the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in deep space. It marks a step toward sustained lunar presence and future Mars missions, the agency said.
Flight controllers issued a “go” for launch after reviews, officials reported. The crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency. They visited the launch pad Thursday and reviewed emergency procedures, NASA said.
A press conference was held at 5 p.m. EDT Thursday, featuring Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, Mission Management Team Chair John Honeycutt, Blackwell-Thompson and Chief Flight Director Emily Nelson. They confirmed high readiness levels.
The 10-day mission will start with about one day in Earth orbit before translunar injection, NASA said. The crew will fly around the moon without landing. It follows the uncrewed Artemis 1 success in November 2022.
Prior delays pushed the launch from February. A liquid hydrogen leak during wet dress rehearsals in January and February forced a scrub, NASA said. Officials shifted the target to March, then to April 1 after additional reviews and rollout preparations.
“The run up to the countdown start has gone extremely smooth, with only a few extremely minor ground equipment issues to deal with,” Blackwell-Thompson said in a statement reported by space.com.
The crew arrived in Florida on March 27 from Johnson Space Center in Texas. They spent time with families at the astronaut beach house Thursday, NASA said. A double rainbow appeared over Kennedy Space Center after the press conference, witnesses reported.
Artemis 2 revives human deep-space exploration after the Apollo era ended with Apollo 17 in December 1972, a gap of 53 years. The mission will demonstrate life support and abort systems on Orion, officials said.
NASA is leading the effort from Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center. The Canadian Space Agency is providing Hansen’s seat under a 2020 accord. Contractors include Boeing for the SLS core stage and Orion.
Live coverage will stream on NASA TV and YouTube, with continuous updates on agency pages. No new scrubs were reported as of Thursday.
The SLS Block 1 rocket stands 32 stories tall and carries the Orion spacecraft. The profile includes zero-gravity indicator “Rise,” introduced by the crew, NASA said.
Earlier sources cited a March launch target, but updates confirmed April 1. A February 11 window closed due to the hydrogen leak, according to spacenews.com.
“All the teams polled ‘go’ to launch and fly Artemis 2 around the moon, pending completion of some of the work before we roll out to the launch pad,” said Lori Glaze, NASA associate administrator for exploration systems development, in a statement to spaceflightnow.com.
The mission emphasizes international partnerships and diversity. The crew consists of all veterans, including two women and one international member.
Artemis 2 paves the way for Artemis 3, planned for around 2027 with a lunar south pole landing. That effort involves commercial partners like SpaceX for Starship landers.
Delays highlight challenges with cryogenic rocket technology, but NASA demonstrated recovery through iterative fixes, officials said.
A second wet dress rehearsal occurred after the initial leak, refining the timeline. No detailed hardware changes for the leak appeared in public reports.
Weather forecasts for April 1 remained unclear in available updates. Final poll results from Thursday’s briefing confirmed the “go” status.
The Artemis program responds to global lunar ambitions, including China’s efforts. It shifts U.S. focus from the space shuttle and International Space Station to deep space.
Crew transport used an updated vehicle, succeeding the Astrovan, though specifics were limited in reports.
Mission duration sources varied slightly, with most citing 10 days. NASA telemetry plans support the 10-day figure.
This launch ties into broader 2026 narratives of exploration uplift, echoing Apollo 8 in 1968, according to some analyses.
NASA’s Artemis 2 mission page describes it as “a key step toward long-term return to the Moon and future missions to Mars.”
Continuous monitoring will occur as the countdown progresses. Officials expect no major issues based on current status.
